Headstart Thought Leadership Series
Guest Lecture Series
| Presenter | India US | Managing disruptive transitions |
| Event Date | 2018-03-05 |
| Event Details | On 5th March, 2018 , IIFT Kolkata hosted US consul general Dr. Craig. L. Hall and Professor Ishani Naskar for the inaugural edition of the distinguished speaker series organized by Socrates, the strategy and consulting club of IIFT. After days of hard toil, the D day arrived where the senior diplomat visited the campus for sharing his valuable insights on the India-US relationship and the changing geopolitical landscape. The event started iskenderun escort with the student council proffering flower bouquets to the venerable guests where the senior club coordinators , Akash Singh and Sai Arun Gaddamsetty introduced the moderator, Professor Ishani Naskar and the chief guest , Dr. Craig L Hall. Professor Ishani Naskar introduced the discussion contemplating both the perspectives, constructive as well as destructive from which the transitions are being looked into. Professor Naskar stated that transitions are not always disruptive. Given the political power upheavals and financial dynamism in Asia , the inference cannot be elucidated in black and white terms. So, different perspectives have to be taken into account. Asia is an economic powerhouse with military prowess of the nations increasing in leaps and bounds in the current scenario. There is a malatya escort constant interplay between geoeconomics and geopolitics as well as a clear shift from Eurocentric paradigm to Asian paradigm. These things are evident in restructuring of financial institutions and councils like evolution of G7 to G20, emergence of BRICS etc. Moreover, there have been several chokepoints in past which have created turmoil in the entire region like financial crisis of 1997, nuclear shadow war by North Korea, South China sea conundrum etc. So, all these constituted the tip of the iceberg which actually boils down to the rhetoric that should India and US have same perspectives in coming together and create a bilateral partnership to counter all the problems lurking the global arena. After Professor Naskar created a comprehensive outline of the discussion, Dr. Hall started the discussion by classifying the problem statement into two parts : 1. US- Indo Pacific Strategy and partnerships and 2. US- India Bilateral relationships. Several statistics like four of America's trading partners are from Asia, five of America's treaty alliances are with Asian economies and world's fastest and largest growing economies depict the singular fact iskenderun escort that Asian economies are inextricably tied to US. American vision includes every nation among which India has a crucial importance given its balancing act amongst the other nations. American vision envisages shared commitment , free trade and universal values. The United States of America also aims to achieve greater security and prosperity for citizens and people all over the world. US Indo-Pacific strategy is a natural complement to India's 'Look East' policy. Democratic principles ties both the countries irrespective of the differences in culture between the two countries. So, what America envisions for the entire world is to bring peace, security and prosperity in place of disorder, conflict and predatory environment. Even India is developing its military prowess like never before with several defence deals with America along with being the regional hub for business development. So, all the data though depict the potential of Indian market and US being the largest export destination for India, there are certain problems which do cripple the business at times. There are certain red tapisms and regulations which hinder American companies and educational institutions to create a setup in Indian landmass. Moreover, the burgeoning problem of Intellectual Property Rights does not allow American companies to feel safe in the Indian arena. Moreover, Dr. Craig also mentioned that the present administration's 'America First' is relatable with 'Make in India' scheme. After this, the floor was open to a dialog between Professor Naskar followed by questions from the present students and alumni attending the event. Professor Naskar asked several questions such as whether India's 'Act East' policy is a stabilizer in the Asian region , perception of the nations regarding India's role in the region and many such questions made the discussion go interactive and enlightening. Even there were a plethora of questions raised by the students regarding the geopolitical scenario to which Dr. Hall patiently answered, making the discussion reaching out to everybody present in the audience. Post the question and answer session, Professor Naskar discussed the main takeaways from the discussion which comprised of political issues creating hindrance for India to become a free market which again has repercussions in India having a full partnership with America . Moreover, India is unfolding relations with other countries like GCC , south east Asian countries etc despite having a warm and cordial relationship with US. So, India- US geopolitical relationship is in a win-win situation where hatay escort each of them has its own dynamics and geopolitical space. |