Lecture Abstract:

Long presumed to be the champion of the non-aligned movement and developing world solidarity, India’s current strategic focus is riveted on building smaller international coalitions in a more purposeful pursuit of its national interests. Its new coalitions represent a very diverse set of organisations–from the five nation BRICS forum with Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa to the trilateral forum with Japan and the United States. This seminar will explore the inherent contradictions in India’s new and eclectic coalition building and assess its sustainability over the near term.

About the Speaker:

Professor C. Raja Mohan is the founding director of Carnegie India, the sixth global centre of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is adjunct professor of South Asian Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the foreign affairs columnist for The Indian Express, New Delhi. Prof. Mohan has published widely on India’s foreign and security policies. His most recent book is Modi’s World: Expanding India’s Sphere of Influence (Harper Collins, 2015).

Organised by South Asia Programme, IDSS and RSIS Events Unit.