Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: November 2020

In November six expert group discussions were organized by the Vivekananda International Foundation through webinar on events and topics extending from India’s neighbourhood to West Asia to USA. Each of the members of the expert groups brought rich flavour and knowledge on the topic through their varied professional backgrounds (military, diplomacy and academia). This issue contains reports of the U.S, Pakistan, West Asia, and China Expert Groups. In addition two more country specific topics relating to Nepal and Myanmar in India’s neighborhood were discussed.

The discussions ranged from “Elections in Myanmar and India's Way Forward", to the Israel’s strategic outreach in West Asia and exploring the options for India, in the Pakistan group the discussions were on the recent Gilgit Baltistan election and fallout, TLP protest, LOC escalation, the dossier on India, and Afghanistan peace process, in the China expert group the highlights of the Fifth Plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC): Implications for the Region and India were discussed, while in the US group it was the likely trajectory of the India-US relations under the Biden administration and in the Nepal round table it was the exploring of positive ideas between the two neighbours to ensure a thaw in the chill that exists between the neighbours.

The West Asia group invited Amb. Ron Malka, Israel’s Ambassador to India who presented his views in West Asia as well as on Israel and India ties. For the India-Nepal discussions the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) was the joint organiser with participation from Mr. Sunil KC, CEO AIDIA, General Rookmangud Katawal (retd), Mr. Uday SJB Rana and Dr. Deepak Prakash Bhatta participated.

The coordinators and researchers associated with these Expert Groups have put unfaltering efforts to coordinate the meetings and collate the notes for the reports in this issue.