New Delhi: The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses’ publication titled ‘Grand Strategy’ for India 2020 and Beyond’ presents perspectives on diverse issues, ranging from security concerns; socio-economic challenges; regional and internal security challenges; emerging challenges in foreign policy domain etc. that are of importance to India’s grand strategy.
Edited by IDSA Scholars Krishnappa Venkatshamy and Ms Princy George, the volume addresses recent and emerging security threats, such as left wing extremism, international terrorism, climate change and energy security and the role of these for framing a national security strategy for India. The authors in the volume offer insightful answers to questions, such as: What might India do to build a cohesive and peaceful domestic order in the next decades? How could India foster a global consensus on the global commons that serve India’s interests and values? What strategic framework will optimise India’s efforts to foster a stable and peaceful neighbourhood?
The Book is the product of a four-day international conference on India’s National Security Strategy held on 20-23 December, 2010 at the IDSA. The conference launched the IDSA National Strategy Project (INSP), an initiative to provide a forum for interdisciplinary dialogue among specialists in international studies, economists, strategic experts and other groups with an interest in India’s strategic affairs.
In the past two decades, India has undergone dramatic transformations in the economic, social and political spheres. The country has radically transformed its economy and is now projected to be on course to become the third largest economy in the world by 2030. Besides this spectacular economic growth, Indian democracy has steadily consolidated and expanded its scope and remit in the post-independence era. The recent successes of civil society groups in mobilising public support for various causes are testimony to the power and resilience of democratic India’s ability to negotiate conflicts within the society through peaceful methods. However, despite its numerous successes, India faces enormous challenges at the domestic, regional and global levels.
Given the complex policy environment of the coming decade, rife with challenges that emerge out of the interface of crosscutting and dynamically interacting domains, a renewed focus on rethinking India’s security strategy is imperative. Such an exercise should be geared towards bridging the gap between traditional disciplinary approaches of strategic analysis and the contemporary need to go beyond disciplinary silos to capture a comprehensive view of the world. As no single institution, discipline or profession is singularly sufficient to carry out the dynamic exercise of framing a security strategy for India that is forward-looking and illuminates the whole range of policy options available to our policymakers in the coming decade, a need was felt to supplement the current framework of disciplinary research with insights from a range of academic disciplines and experience streams at different levels in think tanks and government agencies.
Dedicated to late Shri K. Subrahmanyam, who is the principal inspiration behind the INSP project, the volume has been compiled in the spirit of interdisciplinary dialogue. It aims to stimulate date and discussion in the coming months and be helpful in fostering consensus on important elements of India’s national security strategy. Keeping in view the dynamic nature of the security environment,
Through the volume and the succeeding project report on ‘Towards a National Security Strategy for India’, IDSA hopes to offer strategic perspectives on bilateral relations with key countries and other issues of significance for India.
The ‘E’ version of the book is now available on IDSA website: www.idsa.in
The Grand Strategy Addresses Important Elements of India’s National Security Strategy