Rationale

This conference seeks to deliberate on the key viewpoints on India’s Strategic Thought and its impact on policy responses to global and regional challenges through a non-Western lens. Much of the discussion around India’s strategic thought and culture has been influenced by the pioneering effort of the American foreign affairs commentator and former military officer, late George K Tanham’s research paper for RAND titled: “Indian Strategic Thought: An Interpretive Essay”, based on his interactions with Delhi’s security elite. It has continued to shape the debate over whether to agree with or refute Tanham’s findings, particularly on the point that there is an “absence of strategic thinking” in India.

Agenda
DAY I
SATURDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2023
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM INAUGURAL SESSION
Keynote Address: Dr. S. Jaishankar
Hon'ble External Affairs Minister, Government of India
11:55 AM –13:25 PM Session I
Evolution of Indian Strategic Thought: Political and
Economic Dimensions
13:25 PM – 14:30 PM LUNCH BREAK
14:30 PM – 16:00 PM Session II
Ethical and Moral Dimensions of Statecraft
16:00 PM – 16:30 PM COFFEE BREAK
16:30 PM – 18:00 PM Session III
Geopolitics and Conflict
DAY II
SUNDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2023
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Session IV
Ideas of Nationhood and Civilizational Imagination
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM COFFEE BREAK
11:30 AM – 13:00 PM Session V
Diplomatic Practices in Foreign Policy: The Indian Way
13:00 PM – 14:30 PM LUNCH BREAK
14:30 PM – 16:00 PM Session VI
Indian School of IR – An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
16:00 PM – 16:30 PM WRAP UP
Our Speakers
Amb. (Retd.) P S Raghavan

Amb. (Retd.) P S Raghavan

Chairman, National Security Advisory Board; Former Ambassador to Russia, the Czech Republic and Ireland

Amb. (Retd.) Rajendra Abhyankar

Amb. (Retd.) Rajendra Abhyankar

Visiting Professor of Practice, College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Former Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Syria

Dr. Kajari Kamal

Dr. Kajari Kamal

Associate Professor, the Takshashila Institution

Dr Saurabh Mishra

Dr Saurabh Mishra

Associate Professor, Amity Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Amity University

Shri Vijay Gokhale

Shri Vijay Gokhale

Former Foreign Secretary (Government of India); Distinguished Professor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University)

Prof. Amrita Narlikar

Prof. Amrita Narlikar

President, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, and Professor of International Relations, Hamburg University

Prof. Amitabh Mattoo

Prof. Amitabh Mattoo

Professor, Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament (CIPOD), Jawaharlal Nehru University; Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of Melbourne

Col. (Retd.) P. K. Gautam

Col. (Retd.) P. K. Gautam

Honorary Distinguished Fellow at Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS), United Service Institution of India (USI)

Prof. C. Raja Mohan

Prof.C.Mohan

Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute

Dr. Rudra Chaudhuri

Dr. Rudra Chaudhuri

Director, Carnegie India; Senior Lecturer at King’s College

Prof. Priyankar Upadhyaya

Prof. Priyankar Upadhyaya

UNESCO Chair Professor for Peace and Intercultural Understanding at the Banaras Hindu University

Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal

Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal

Member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, and Secretary to the Government of India

Prof. Gautam R. Desiraju

Prof. Gautam R. Desiraju

Professor Emeritus, Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science

Mr. Hindol Sengupta

Mr. Hindol Sengupta

Head-Research at Invest India, Visiting Fellow – Observer Research Foundation and Former Editor-at-Large at Fortune India

Amb. (Retd.) Talmiz Ahmad

Amb. (Retd.) Talmiz Ahmad

Former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE; Ram Sathe Chair in International Studies, Symbiosis International (Deemed University)

Dr. Rahul Sagar

Dr. Rahul Sagar

Global Network Associate Professor of Political Science, NYU, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Medha Bisht

Dr. Medha Bisht

Associate Professor, South Asian University

Rear Admiral (Retd.)
Sudarshan Shrikhande

Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sudarshan Shrikhande

Adjunct Faculty, Naval War College, Goa & Editor-in-chief – Indian Naval Despatch

Amb. (Retd.)
Gautam Bambawale

Amb. (Retd.) Gautam Bambawale

Former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan and China, and High Commissioner to Pakistan; Distinguished Professor

Prof. Varun Sahni

Prof. Varun Sahni

Professor of International Politics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Prof. Amitav Acharya

Prof. Amitav Acharya

Distinguished Professor, SIS - Global Inquiry, American University

Dr. Atul Mishra

Dr. Atul Mishra

Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University

Prof. Siddharth Mallavarapu

Prof. Siddharth Mallavarapu

Professor and Head of the Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University

Prof. Pankaj Jha

Prof. Pankaj Jha

Professor, Associate Dean, Research and Director of Centre for Security Studies

Route Map
Pune International Airport to Symbiosis International University, Lavale
Symbiosis Campus SB Road to SSymbiosis International University,Lavale