| Title: | 38 : India’s Foreign Policy and the ‘Modi Doctrine’ |
| Author/s: | Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, Research Associate at the ISAS |
| Abstract: | India today is far more engaged in diplomacy than ever before. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is actively building relations with other states to harness their mutual commercial and cultural strengths. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in a landslide victory in May 2014 under the leadership of Modi. Both Indian and foreign observers of Indian foreign policy had a limited understanding of Modi and the ‘BJP approach’ with regard to India’s external engagements in May 2014. Prime Minister Modi’s outlook on global affairs retains the main thrust of India’s approach to the world, yet there is a nuanced aim of linking India’s foreign policy to domestic transformation under his leadership. While, his policies are designed to attract foreign capital and technology, and seek foreign markets for Indian products, they are also geared towards a closer linkage of regional stability, peace and prosperity. Although, he comes under criticism from some quarters for his frequent foreign trips, most agree that Modi has pursued India’s foreign policy with exceptional dynamism. At times he seems to pursue continuity, while at other times he demonstrates a marked change in policy. This raises some general questions. Is there an emergence of a ‘Modi Doctrine’ in India’s foreign policy? Is there an evolution of new paradigms in India’s external engagements? These issues were discussed at an ISAS panel discussion in Singapore on 20 October 2016. |
| Date: | 2 November 2016 |
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| Title: | 37 : US Presidential Election and the Indian Diaspora |
| Author/s: | Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) at the ISAS, Ms Taisha Grace Antony is Research Assistant at ISAS |
| Abstract: | On 11 October 2016, ISAS hosted a panel discussion of distinguished speakers on the theme, 'US Presidential Elections and the Indian Diaspora'. The forthcoming Presidential elections in the US are witnessing intensive debates on the role and impact of immigrants. Indians form a sizeable part of the immigrant population in the US, and over time, they have not only expanded in size and socio-economic status, but have also become increasingly visible actors and stakeholders in US domestic politics. The Indian diaspora has also been a major strategic factor in shaping the current trajectory of US-India bilateral relations. The ISAS panel discussion covered a wide range of topics in the context of the Presidential elections and the Indian community in the US, including its political and social behaviour, economic mobility, and engagement with US domestic institutions. The discussion also covered the issues in the immigration debate and the prospects of new policies influencing future skilled Indian migration to the US. |
| Date: | 19 October 2016 |
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| Title: | 36 : Workshop on ‘Citizenship and the South Asian Diaspora in the age of Globalization’, 19 – 20 July 2016 |
| Author/s: | Subrata Kumar Mitra and Jivanta Schottli |
| Abstract: | In a world where an unprecedented number of people are on the move, as a result of hardship and in search of opportunity, the subject of Diaspora and Citizenship is of particular importance. As part of the third South Asian Diaspora Convention which was organised by ISAS, July 18-19, 2016, at the Raffles City Convention Centre, three panels dwelt on this general theme. They raised issues focused on the definition of the key terms in a discourse that surrounds academic and public discussion about the conditions of life amongst the diaspora, and raised complex questions about the role of the nation state, citizenship and public policy. With the spread of global media and expansive social networks, citizenship is not just about legal rights and entitlement. Thanks to these developments, citizenship has become as much about the moral construction of identity and obligation. Hence in our global and connected times, the question of what makes a citizen has become relevant again. |
| Date: | 27 July 2016 |
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| Title: | 35 : India under Narendra Modi: A Midterm Appraisal of the BJP Government |
| Author/s: | Jivanta Schottli |
| Abstract: | On 26 May 2016, exactly two years since India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, ISAS hosted a panel of distinguished Indian speakers on the theme, India under Modi: A Mid-Term Appraisal. For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the sixteenth general elections marked its emergence as a national party, giving the BJP a clear majority and a strong mandate to deliver inclusive development and good governance - two of its stated priorities. Taking over after 10 years of Congress-led coalition governments, the expectations of change were sky-high. The momentum and energy generated by the election, and captured in the persona of Narendra Modi himself, warranted a serious assessment of the achievements of a government two years into the job. Covering a wide spectrum of topics, across politics, governance, the economy and foreign policy, the panel brought out the nuances and challenges of how to assess change, taking into account the perceived stalemate of previous decades, and what to use as its benchmark. Should it be the pace or quality of change measured in terms of policy and output; effectiveness and impact captured through socio economic indices; the strengthening and weakening of institutions or the intangibles of reviving qualities such as professionalism, integrity and civic consciousness |
| Date: | 6 June 2016 |
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| Title: | 34 : State Election Results in India: Gains for the BJP and Regional Parties |
| Author/s: | Ronojoy Sen |
| Abstract: | The results of the elections in four States brought cheer to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is going to form the government in Assam for the first time. Regional parties too held their own in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the Left in Kerala. The results were a disappointment for the Congress as it was voted out of power in Assam and Kerala. |
| Date: | 25 May 2016 |
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| Title: | 33 : Evolution of the Modern State in India |
| Author/s: | Jayant Singh |
| Abstract: | The Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) convened a two-day workshop in Singapore on 25 February 2016 to discuss the core concepts of Kautilya's Arthashastra and compare them with the politico-strategic writings of Sun-Tzu (The Art of War), Niccolo Machiavelli (Discorsi and Il Principe), Persia's Nizam ul-Mulk ('The Book of Government') and the political philosopher Barani (Fatwa-i-Jahandari). This international workshop was organised jointly with the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), Delhi (India). The central endeavour at the workshop was to understand the manifest and latent influence of Kautilyan thought on the foreign policy and domestic politics of South Asia. The workshop also tried to establish whether there had been a 'trans-cultural flow' of Kautilyan thoughtfigures beyond the South Asian subcontinent. |
| Date: | 31 March 2016 |
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| Title: | 32 : The State of Democracy in South Asia. Aspiration Quotients |
| Author/s: | Ayesha Kalpani Wijayalath |
| Abstract: | The Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) convened a workshop in Singapore on 20 January 2016 to discuss and compare the cross-country findings of the State of Democracy in South Asia (SDSA) project. This international workshop was held in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi and Lokniti, a research network based in India. |
| Date: | 31 March 2016 |
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| Title: | 31 : Diversity, Equality, Citizenship and Indian Muslims |
| Author/s: | Riaz Hassan , Visiting Research Professor at ISAS |
| Abstract: | This Special Report outlines the trend of discussions that took place during the two-day workshop on the theme of 'Diversity, Equality, Citizenship and Indian Muslims'. The workshop, organised in Singapore on 18 and 19 September 2015, focused on the varied nuances of the socio-economic and political situation of India's significant minority of Muslim population in the light of the Sachar Committee recommendations and the evolving ground realities. |
| Date: | 12 January 2016 |
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