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Dr Smruti S Pattanaik is a Research Fellow (SS) at the MP-IDSA. Her area of specialisation is South Asia. Her current research project is titled as “India’s Response to China’s Presence in South Asia: Challenges and Policy Options”.
Dr Pattanaik has been a recipient of many international fellowships. She was a Visiting Asia Fellow (Asian Scholarship Foundation, Bangkok) at the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University in 2004 and follow-up grantee in 2007, researching on politics of identity in Bangladesh. She was a recipient of Kodikara Award in 1999 (RCSS, Colombo), a Post-doctoral Fellow at FMSH (Fondation Maison des Science de l’Homme), and was attached to the Centre for International Relations and Research (CERI, Science Po), Paris. She was selected to attend the Symposium on the East Asian Security (SEAS) Program conducted by the US State Department and USPACOM in 2011. She was a Visiting Fellow (September-October 2011) at the International Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), she was a Visiting Professor on ICCR’s India Chair at the University of Colombo for a semester.
She has lectured on India’s foreign policy and South Asia at the Colombo University, Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Asia Centre in the University of Melbourne, University of Karachi, University of Peshawar and University of Dhaka.
She was the Course Director of the India-Bangladesh Studies Programme jointly conducted by Jamia Millia Islamia and Dhaka University. She developed a course on "Political Developments in Bangladesh 1971-2010" as part of the European Union-funded project on Curriculum Development on Peace- building in Europe and South Asia, organised by the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia in 2011.
Dr Pattanaik has published more than 60 research articles in various peer-reviewed journals both in India and abroad. She has contributed more than 50 chapters in edited books, and delivered lectures on security issues both in India and abroad. She has authored a book titled Elite Perception in Foreign Policy: Role of Print Media in Influencing India-Pakistan Relations 1989-1999 (Manohar Publishers & RCSS: 2004), and a Monograph titled Afghanistan and its Neighbourhood: In Search of a Stable Future (PRIO-IDSA, 2013). She has edited two books South Asia: Envisioning a Regional Future, Pentagon Press, Delhi, (2011) and Four Decades of India Bangladesh Relations: Historical Imperatives and Future Direction, Gyan Publishing House, (2012), and two reports titled Pakistan on the Edge (2013) and Unending Violence in Pakistan: Analysing the Trend (2014). She is a member of MP-IDSA’s task force on neighbouring countries and is coordinator of Pakistan project. She writes for the Daily Star and Dhaka Tribune (Bangladesh) and is on the Editorial Board of MP-IDSA’s flagship journal, Strategic Analysis published by Routledge.
Myanmar: The Drift Within
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA. Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s article ‘Myanmar: The drift within’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ on 25 May 2023.
The conflict between the military, ethnic groups and political parties has affected Myanmar’s stability, says Dr Pattanaik.
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Pakistan Braces for a Political Tsunami
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s article ‘Pakistan braces for a political tsunami’ has been published in Kathmandu Post on 11 May 2023.
Imran Khan’s arrest may boomerang if the situation is not handled patiently and without violence, says Dr Pattanaik.
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Japan’s infra push in South Asia
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s article ‘Japan’s infra push in South Asia’ as been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ on 27 April 2023.
The country's investments in South Asia should be seen in the context of its projects in the ASEAN region and not just as an Indo-Pacific strategy, says Dr Pattanaik.
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Revisiting India-Bhutan Relations
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s Opinion Piece ‘Revisiting India-Bhutan relations’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’, on 12 April 2023.
Bhutan is an important development and strategic partner of India due to their shared interests, says Dr Pattaniak.
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Fault lines along the Af-Pak border
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s article ‘Fault lines along the Af-Pak border’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ on 01 March 2023.
There might be frequent border clashes as tribes across the Durand line are unlikely to accept an artificial division, says Dr Pattanaik.
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Dhaka and the Geopolitical Game
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s column ‘Dhaka and the geopolitical game’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ on 01 February 2023.
It would be important to note how the US approaches the government in Bangladesh. It has conducted significant counter-terror cooperation with Dhaka, and has always showcased Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim country, says Dr Pattanaik.
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‘Will China rescue Pakistan and Sri Lanka?’
Research Fellow, Manohar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s article ‘Will China rescue Pakistan and Sri Lanka?’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ on 19 January 2023.
Rajapaksa Mattala Airport is a glaring example of unviable Sri Lankan investments, says Dr Pattanaik.
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Afghan Women Fight for Education
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s column ‘Afghan women fight for education’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’, on 04 January 2023.
The country is at the bottom in the gender parity index, and women who constitute half of Afghanistan’s population are looking at a bleak future under the Taliban regime. Nonetheless, they are hopeful of drawing international support and attention as they struggle to return to schools and universities that will give wings to their aspirations, says Dr Pattanaik.
Electioneering in South Asia
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s column ‘Electioneering in South Asia’ has been published in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ on 21 December 2022.
Economic difficulties are going to play a role in the electoral political narratives in the region, says Dr Pattanaik.
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Sheikh Hasina’s Visit to India Bolsters Bilateral Ties
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik’s article ‘Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India bolsters bilateral ties’ has been published in the East Asia Forum on 16 December 2022.