EVENTS

After a prolonged stand-off on the LAC of almost five years, pragmatic leadership on both sides has reached a modus-vivendi on the way to break the impasse. There is cautious optimism as the leadership from both sides has re-opened deliberations & communication across domains, notably, diplomatic engagement, the border dispute on the LAC, trade & commerce, people -to- people contacts etc. The underlying belief on both sides is to avoid confrontation while accepting the need for healthy competition. What led to the "thaw" in the relationship? What are the initial steps which will build confidence between the two large Asian economies to move forward while dealing with issues such as "mutual trust" and "mutual respect" to find a fair and just solution to resolve differences? More importantly, what is the likely trajectory of the relationship in an uncertain world where the international world order is undergoing a turbulent change and the balance of power is shifting towards Asia. This seminar intends to address some of these questions, particularly focussing on the military, diplomatic and economic dimension of the relationship.

Speaker

Maj Gen Mandip Singh SM, VSM retired after 38 years of distinguished service in the Indian Army. He is a third-generation soldier and served in the Regiment of Artillery. He was awarded the Sena Medal and Vishist Sewa Medal for his distinguished service by the President of India. He was the Dean at the Army's premier institution, the Army War College where he contributed to the thinking on operational art, strategic planning, leadership & emerging technologies. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Mercator Institute of China Studies (MERICS), Berlin and is a Senior Fellow at Centre for Land & Warfare Studies (CLAWS) as well as a Distinguished Fellow at United Services Institute (USI), New Delhi. Post retirement he is President (Strategic Alliances) at Droneacharya Aerial Innovations Ltd, a leading public limited company in the drone space. He is also Advisor, Technology Business Incubation Foundation at IIT, Ropar, where he offers his services in hand-holding the start-up ecosystem in the defence sector. He continues to write in various international and national journals and periodicals. He lectures on geo-political, leadership, drones and defence issues at leading universities & military institutions.

Chair

Atul Bhardwaj is a visiting fellow in the department of International Politics at the City St. George's, University of London. He was a Fellow at the Prime Minister Museum and Library, Teen Murti. He is the author of India - America Relations (1942-62): Rooted in the Liberal International Order. He has been writing a strategic affairs column in the Economic and Political Weekly since 2013. Atul Bhardwaj is a PhD in history from Ambedkar University and has done his masters in War Studies from King's College, London. He is alumni of the National Defence Academy, Pune and has served in the aviation branch of the Indian Navy for two decades. He was formerly also a Research fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). He has published several papers in refereed journals and edited books and contributed to leading international and national newspapers. He has also worked as associate editor in Business and Economy magazine and was the founding editor of two defence magazines, Purple Beret and Salute.

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