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Shruti Pandalai is an Associate Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, primarily working on issues closely related to India’s national security and foreign policy. Attached with the Centre for Military Affairs, she has worked on projects requiring research and recommendations for the National Security Council Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs. India’s strategic thought and practice, its military history - the wars of 1962 and 1965 and their impact on contemporary foreign policy, emerging challenges to national security and forecasting and scenario projection are some of the themes she has worked on at MP-IDSA. She has also published widely on the subject of Media and National Security, looking at the larger issues of strategic communication in diplomacy and conflict resolution in India.
Previously, Shruti was a broadcast journalist, a News Anchor and Senior Correspondent with a leading national English news network specialising in international affairs. She contributes columns/op-eds/blogs to leading national and international publications on matters of national security, foreign policy and on the media.She has most recently been honoured with the MP-IDSA President's Award 2015 for her research paper on India's 1965 War with Pakistan and how it shaped the geopolitics of South Asia.She is part of many emerging leaders fora including the New America Foundation's South Asia 2020 initiative, the Global Young Leaders Programme "The Asian Forum of Global Governance 2017” organised jointly by the ZEIT-StiftungEbelin und GerdBucerius, Germany and the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, and was also among the first batch of Raisina Young Fellows participating in the MEA-ORF annual Raisina Dialogue 2017. She is an alumna of St Xavier's College Calcutta, The Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, and The Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS, University of London.
Blame Games Amidst A Protracted Deadlock—No Thaw In India, China Ties
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms. Shruti Pandalai contributed a guest column on ‘Blame games amidst a protracted deadlock-No thaw in India China ties’ for the China-India Brief, published by the Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, on October 26, 2021.
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Why AUKUS is Gaining Acceptance in the Indo Pacific
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms. Shruti Pandalai’s Commentary ‘Why AUKUS is gaining acceptance in the Indo-Pacific’ has been published in CNA on September 29, 2021.
The Australia-US-UK pact facilitates Asian countries' pursuit of cooperation in other areas without worrying about the larger looming regional security challenge, says Ms. Pandalai.
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A Year after Deadly Galwan Valley Clashes, India and China Are Struggling To Rebuild Mutual Trust
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms. Shruti Pandalai's Oped, ‘A year after deadly Galwan Valley clashes, India and China are struggling to rebuild mutual trust’, featured in the South China Morning Post on August 25, 2021.
The piece argues that enduring perceptions of rivalry have taken root in India China relations a year after Galwan. Competing strategic narratives and lack of real dialogue do little to improve mutual trust.
China is focusing on 'discourse power'. Shore up defences
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms. Shruti Pandalai's Oped exploring the argument of why India needs to be vigilant, given China's renewed ambition to target India's multiple fault lines with its "discourse politics" was featured in the Hindustan Times Opinion Page, published on July 28, 2021.
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Chinese Checkers: Driving Alignments in the Indo-Pacific
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms Shruti Pandalai’s short essay discussing how China is driving alignments the Indo-Pacific and wider implications for the region has been published in the GP-ORF Series titled 'Brass Tacks: Unpacking the Indo Pacific’, on July 13, 2021.
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Power to Prevail: China’s ‘Discourse Politics’ as CCP Turns 100
The CCP has invested heavily in telling “China’s Story Well” by amplifying its discourse power. However, looking at China’s discourse politics from an absolutely narrow propaganda lens would be a folly, for the stakes for India are much higher, more nuanced and across multiple domains.
Why the West has problems defining a clear China policy
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms. Shruti Pandalai’s Op-Ed 'Why the West has problems defining a clear China policy' has been published by Singapore-based Channel News Asia, on June 24 2021.
The beginnings of a G7 policy on China while welcome must reconcile many pushes and pulls, given interests within the western block may not always sync up, says Shruti Pandalai.
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Quad 2.0: Beyond “Not Making Choices”, Giving ASEAN a Slew of Options
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms Shruti Pandalai's commentary "Quad 2.0: Beyond 'Not Making Choices', Giving ASEAN a Slew of Options" has been published in Fulcrum, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, on May 17, 2021.
The piece argues that India’s grappling with the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic at home has only highlighted the need for greater “issue-based” coalitions in the Indo-Pacific and maybe the assurance that countries within the ASEAN need.
The Quad has a plan and it’s not all about China
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms Shruti Pandalai’s Op-Ed ‘The Quad has a plan and it’s not all about China’ has been published in Singapore based Channel News Asia, on April 06, 2021.
Countries of the Quad are moving forward in concrete cooperation that benefits the Indo-Pacific region as a whole. That is a positive direction it should continue with capacity building at its core, says Shruti Pandalai.
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Voices from Ground Ziro: Against Chinese Claims, It’s Time for the Arunachali Frontier to be Heard
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms. Shruti Pandali’s opinion piece ‘Voices from ground Ziro: Against Chinese claims, it’s time for the Arunachali frontier to be heard’ has been published in Times of India on October 22, 2020.
As India stands firm on its resolve to improve last mile connectivity, it’s an opportune moment to mainstream voices from India’s frontiers who keep the flag flying and let them shape conversations from the ground, writes Ms. Pandalai.