India’s first Prime Minister spearheaded India’s Foreign Policy for over 15 years. He forged partnerships but deterred from aligning with the two hegemons of the cold war era. Successive Prime Ministers in the early decades followed precedent, but international engagement took a back seat to India’s domestic issues. At the time of a historic economic transition in Asia, PM Modi came to power showing earnestness in his pursuit of fortifying India’s place in the world. Travelling across continents, he has tried to deepen ties with traditional allies while engaging with more countries and forging new partnerships.
 
However, India’s difficult relations with its neighbour Pakistan, China’s growing influence in Asia and Africa, and America’s inwardly focused policies cannot be ignored. Eminent political scientist Sunil Khilnani acknowledges India as ‘A substantial bridgehead of effervescent liberty on the Asian continent’, persistent with its long-term record of successful, multicultural democracy. But what must India do to balance its democratic achievements with its global ambitions? How does India engage with two nuclear-armed neighbours? How must India’s foreign policy adapt to a dynamic world order? Join us in conversation with Bharat Karnad, National Security Expert and Meena Menon, Journalist and Author as they discuss Mr. Karnad's new book ‘Staggering Forward: Narendra Modi and India’s Global Ambition’ which presents an analysis of the current Prime Minister’s foreign policy. In a world driven by trade and communication, Mr. Karnad explains the rise of political strongmen like Xi Jinping in China, Trump in USA, Putin in Russia and Erdogan in Turkey who are trying to thrive independently in an extremely interdependent world order. As India continues to ascend the economic ladder, his book tries to answer critical questions concerning India’s place on the international stage.

Bharat Karnad is a research professor at CPR and a national security expert. Mr Karnad was a member of the first National Security Advisory Board of India’s National Security Council, where he participated in the Nuclear Doctrine Drafting Group and the external security and the technology security groups of the Strategic Review. In addition to publishing widely on national security, he is frequently consulted by officials of the Government of India, including the prime minister and minister for external affairs. Mr Karnad also lectures widely abroad and has been involved in Track-II dialogues with the United States, China, Taiwan, Pakistan, and Israel.

Meena Menon is an independent journalist and former bureau chief The Hindu, Mumbai. She is the author of Riots and After in Mumbai (2012), Reporting Pakistan (2017), and co-author with Uzramma of A Frayed History - The Journey of Cotton in India(2017). She has been a journalist since 1984 and has worked with United News of India, The Times of India, Midday and The Hindu. She is also on the faculty of Xavier Institute of Communication.

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