ANANTA INVITE: Conference on Confrontations and Conflicts in West Asia: Challenges for India | 15th January, 2016 | WWF Auditorium, New Delhi
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| Conference on Confrontations and Conflicts in West Asia: Challenges for India | ||
| EVENT DETAILS | ||
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| DATE | Friday, 15th January, 2016 | |
| TIME | 10:00 AM – 04:30 PM (Registration: 9:30 AM) | |
| LOCATION | WWF Auditorium, 172-B, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi – 110003 | |
| 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Opening Session: Overview of the West Asian Scenario | |
| SPEAKERS | Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and UAE (Conference Chair) Ambassador Rajendra Abhyankar, Professor of Practice of Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington and Former Ambassador of India to Syria and Turkey | |
| 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | Session I: The Saudi-Iran Confrontation and Proxy Wars in West Asia | |
| CHAIR | Mr Siddharth Varadarajan, Editor, The Wire | |
| SPEAKERS | Dr. Gulshan Dietl, Professor (Retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University Ms. Kanchi Gupta, Associate Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) | |
| 12:00 PM – 01:00 PM | Session II: The proliferation of Jihad in West Asia | |
| CHAIR | Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and UAE | |
| SPEAKERS | Mr. Mudddassir Quamar, Centre for West Asian Studies, JNU Dr Zakir Hussain, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) | |
| 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM | Session III: Role of the Regional and Big Powers in the West Asian Conflicts | |
| CHAIR | Ambassador Sanjay Singh, Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India | |
| SPEAKERS | Mr. Rajeev Agarwal, Political Analyst and Strategic Affairs writer Dr. N Janardhan, Political Analyst, Dubai | |
| 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM | Session IV: Challenges for India – Shaping Collective Security Arrangements in West Asia | |
| CHAIR | Ambassador Ranjit Gupta, Former Ambassador to Oman, Thailand and Spain | |
| SPEAKERS | Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and UAE Dr. Meena Singh Roy, Research Fellow and Coordinator, West Asia Centre, IDSA | |
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| ABOUT THE EVENT | ||
Over the last 25 years, West Asia has been in the throes of instability. More recently, the region has been experiencing what has been referred to as “a period of tectonic and destructive change”, with Syria, Libya and Yemen in the grip of widespread civil conflict. The regional scenario has also seen the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a political and military power across large parts of Iraq and Syria, with its territories now proclaimed as the "Caliphate" of the Islamic State (IS). After a decade of diplomatic effort, Iran reached a landmark nuclear agreement with the U.S. and five other world powers. However, its implications for a region with widespread local conflicts, that have been further exacerbated by the interventions of regional powers, are far from clear. East of the Gulf, in South Asia, there is continued conflict in Afghanistan between the Taliban and a weak central authority. The Al Qaeda-fomented extremist violence originates in Pakistan but its destructive tentacles reach across South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, large parts of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and now much of north and central Africa as well. These scenarios of continued competition and conflict have grave implications for India, whose energy and economic interests are closely tied with West Asia, besides of course the presence of its 8-million strong community in the Gulf whose welfare has been of paramount concern to successive governments in New Delhi. The Conference: “Confrontations and Conflicts in West Asia: Challenges for India” will discuss various aspects of the ongoing contentions and crises in West Asia, explore how they will impact on India's interests and how India should respond to these challenges. | ||