Ever since the mid-to-late 2000s, questions regarding India’s role in the Quad and in the wider Indo-Pacific region have been repeatedly raised. These questions have gained credence particularly in light of the so-called American “pivot to the Asia”, which itself was an open recognition and acknowledgment of the emergence of China as a near-peer competitor to the US. The questions regarding India have gained some urgency in more recent months, particularly in the light of the strikingly independent stance that India has adopted vis-à-vis the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. Additionally, India’s continued military and economic relations with Russia has caused much consternation both in the US and in Europe. In this talk, Dr Manabrata Guha argues that India’s actions in the context of the Russia-Ukraine War may be read as being reflective of a ‘muscular’ Indian foreign policy, which is signaling its growing assertiveness and revisionist tendencies. This is evidenced by some of the statements that high-ranking officials of the Indian government have been making recently. It is also significant that this is taking place in the context of a deliberate foregrounding of India’s cultural heritage, which is serving as a bedrock on which its strategic posture is being crafted. When taken together, a faint, yet unmistakable, picture emerges of a country that is setting up the foundations for a larger and more impactful, albeit differently imagined, role than what is currently assigned to it. The discussion will examine these and some of the larger contextual issues at stake.
Speaker
Dr Manabrata Guha earned his doctoral degree from the University of Lancaster, UK. In the past, he has worked at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy (Canberra, Australia), Center for Joint Warfare Studies (New Delhi, India), the University of Bath (Bath, UK), the National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bengaluru, India), and at the University of Lancaster (Lancaster, UK). He is a member of the Editorial Board for “Defense Studies”, A Taylor and Francis Journal (UK), and for “The Air Force Journal of Indo–Pacific Affairs (JIPA)”, Air University Press (Maxwell AFB, USA). Currently he is an Associate Professor at Rabdan Academy (UAE) and teaches Military Innovation and Military Theory at Zayed Military University (UAE).
Registration will close two hours before the event begins