Intr

oduc

tion • High anticipation after 25 years return since 1990s

• Trip of 60 books shopping• Nuclear, self sufficiency, closed economy, NAM, war with

Pakistan & China defined• Rising India & modernisation• Can smell and feel pulse of vibrancy

Think-tank No. 1: ICWA housed within Sapru House

Chairman Siddhartha, centre; Tan Sri Rastam 2nd RDiscussing the importance of:Non Traditional Themes in Asian Foreign Policies.Challenges of Economy, Public Health and Ecology.Challenges of Insecurity and Violence.Technology in Asian Relations.Regional Groupings: Towards Continental Convergence.

Think-tank No. 2: Visit to Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis

Studying the Rising China and Rising India and its Cooperation.

Think-tank No. 2: Visit to Institute for Defence Studies and

Analysis (IDSA)

Think-tanks No. 3: National Maritime Foundation.Discussed the security of The Indian Ocean.

Study visit to Think-tank No. 4: Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU). Discussed India-

ASEAN Relations.

School of International Studies, JNU

Paying our visit to Malaysian High Commissioner to India H.E. Datuk Naimun Ashakli Mohammad,

who hosted us a great dinner.

Taj Mahal: World’s biggest monument dedicated to love, build by Shah Jahan.

India national bird: peacock.

Study Visit to ICWA

Strength • Well organised event• Punctual start & end• Hosted world leaders• Book launch• Apex think tank

Weakness • Hot weather• D2 of 6th Asian Relation

Conference, on Non Traditional Themes in Asia

• No chance to meet Allahabad

Opportunity• Getting books @Connaught,

JNU• Met classmates• Fellowship w Ambassador• Interaction with Professor &

colleague

Threat• Security alert all time• Swine flu, vaccination• Gastroenteritis • Fever of fellow colleague

Indian Council of World Affair (ICWA)

• It was a highly anticipated study visit since my return from my ICCR-scholarship sponsored study there in the 1980s, a hiatus of close to 30 years. Those was the day of Ambassador car plying Delhi now replaced by modern Japanese car speaks volume of the modernizing rising India, India that is now a confident nuclear power, transformed from closed to an open economy, self sufficient in many areas of the economy and one certainly can feel the pulse of vibrancy, energy, success and smell the ever presence of money in the business environment. I was especially excited and prepared for the biggest book shopping haul of my lifetime, brought back 60 books on IR and security study, fully satisfied.

• The premier foreign policy think tank institution of ICWA is an equivalent of Institute of Strategic and International Study (ISIS) of Malaysia, a finest research house of India, currently headed by DG Ambassador Mr. Rajiv Kumar Bhatia on showcase and hosted the prominent world’s leaders who visited here as to how policy are being initiated, brainstormed, hammered, articulated and adopted for progressive and confident India, by a team of dedicated competent scholars, covering issues as diverse from traditional security to terrorism, climate change and global trade regime, with large number of the latest articles covering every corner of the world. The institution is housed in a historic Sapru House building is set in the early summer of lush green huge expense of garden aesthetically appealing right in the heart of New Delhi speaks volume of its eminence.

• Our visit on 24 March 2015 witnessed the intense vibrant debates among world’s top academicians and researchers from Korea to Israel, Nepal to Malaysia, including our ISIS Chairman Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, covering area like the importance of science, innovation and technology, cyber security, water security and initiative on common currency and continental convergence was most stimulating.

• The event of ICWA was impressively organized with pin point accuracy and punctuality. The only drawback being that the weather was warming up yet we have to dress up in full suit is testament to our delayed missed golden period in the spring of February 2015.

• The city was evidently guarded with sentry posts throughout testifying the alertness to the ever danger posed by religious militants that defined India stance with its neighbors. The outbreak of swine flu necessitated everyone to take vaccination to avoid being another statistic of a thousand dead. We were warned to the ever present of risk of gastroenteritis and so precaution was meticulously observed with taking boiled freshly prepared food.

• Indian Defense Study Analysis (IDSA), was my favorite destination as we debated on the India-China Relations and the potential silk route into India from the border from Yunnan province which gave me the first hand insight into the feeling of Indian official stance on China aggression and the Principle of Panchsheel. India would not want to be in the alliance with the America to balance China but instead follow their own line to solve the dispute with China to its own interest. My personal analysis is that since China has solved its border problem with all its neighbors except India is an indication that we stays positive that one day it will be resolved, and with that both nations will benefit from historic stumbling block to their relations removed, though easier said than done.

• The National Maritime Foundation (NMF) is set in the massive compound and building at the periphery of Delhi, is a premier maritime research house. The rising India is best observed in the importance the commanders attached to the Indian Ocean that India must be able to exert its influence through its formidable Indian Navy. There has been a lot of collaboration with the ASEAN states in joint naval exercises. They have been invited to help find solutions to Southern Thailand in security arrangement, and in Myanmar to break the monopoly of China influence in a clear evidence of interplay on the balance of power. The salient feature I observed here is that the research unit NMF is given a corner of two annex blocks dedicated for the purpose besides the huge main administrative building. Smaller nations can model along this line of setting aside a small space for the purpose of research without setting aside too much of a budget for that function and duty of service to the nation.

• The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), is the apex university producing India’s finest researchers in IR. The debate there was vigorous between the two sides of the divide where the two institutions argue on the importance of India-ASEAN Relations in the past, current and similarly the future. It was through here that I bought the most impressive of my private library collection.

• My impression is that ever since PM Narendra Modi took office he has demonstrated a unique leadership able to rally his people together and took the lead to market India or the Make in India Incorporated to the rest of the world very well, and with his success in Gujarat is testimony to more yet to come that I have already witnessed massive sport city, high rise condominium under 24 hours construction and state of the art highway and airport, many massive industrial zone whereby China has moved into SEZ on manufacturing, and India moving to China to build on ICT and pharmaceutical industries is complementary to cut down trade deficit, is good news on rising India sound strategy.

• India being the second largest remittance nation will give it sufficient resources to catalyze its industrialization whose persistent annual GDP growth of more than 7 % give an unmistaken potential whose advantage is further augmented by support given by American and Japan.

Conclusion

• The excitement aura, energy, anticipation filled my entire journey that is more than successful that words alone is insufficient to describe the experience and memory that permeate every nerve fiber of me.

• My only worry that what may derail its ambition is its cast system that segregate its population unnecessarily, a huge rich-poor divide that need to be narrowed, its corruption need to be reeled in and red tape cut so as tap its full potential to attract FDI and the continued sourcing of resources for infrastructure that has to compete with India’s defense needs. One caveat however is being the second largest diasporas in the world of non-resident overseas Indian could inject unexpected huge resources. Democracy is a good virtue, but may squabble on the land reform bill needed to open up huge area for big industrial park. One other is the social stability whereby sectarian violence and religious extremism of the past need to be managed carefully and sensitively.

• What benefited me directly is that I got firsthand knowledge and emphatic about the strong feeling evoked from officers on the ground is worth not comparable from class learning and literature gathered, what more the direct communication already put to use and the perspective it helps directly on my current thesis. What benefited Malaysia is that we can follow on their tested success model to shorten our journey to success. The network builds and continued collaboration and interchanges of information and research will help a long way, saving us time, effort and resources.

Other centres

JNU• Dynamic, vibrant, agile,• Focused, exploring• Demand answer from

students

Shaped me• Indian IR slot in tightly Vs Thesis• Indo-Pacific: US agenda, bring

India to SCS, contain China• India-China pursue B/L Trade

Investment, manufacturing, IT

Other centres

idsa• India-China detailed discuss• Transport corridor Vs

Economic• China no demand put forth

NMF• Supreme on land means in

sea• Highway of sea lane, energy• Powerful actors • India invited to Thailand help

security in South Thailand, highway to Myanmar

• Granted corner for R&D, annex block model for development

Opportunity for Malaysian companies

• Delhi Airport, highway, infra build by IJM & others

Conclusion

• Narenda Modi make great effort to market India• Infra taking shape, sport city, high-rise, traffic jam• SEZ, make in India Incorporated• Rising power supported by US Allies, economic,

military• Adjacent to China, 3 Billion population market• World back-door office, ICT, pharma, funding • Not part of global supply chain manufacturing• 2nd or Biggest remittance nation, $21 B in 2005

Challenges: Overall impression

• Big population with wide rich-poor gap• 4-tier cast system, + untouchable Lalit• Corruption• History of Religious polarisation• others: – Infra, transport, logistic, – Resources shortage, competition internationally with

emerging nations, raw materials, water, fuel– Indian diasporas influence in other countries, as lobby– FDI concentrated in services outsourcing

•End of Study visit to Indian Think-tanks

Part 2: Introduction to our Course.• This course is coaching on how to set strategies for national foreign

policy and how trade and investment work in the political world, business intelligence and of course the business world. Diplomacy is very much how we strategies to win in any negotiation with foreign power or a business negotiation. We also study National and international security and how to understand the balance of power game.

• Courses covers: Comparative Foreign & Defence Policy, Contemporary Security, Asia-Pacific Security, Human Security, Methodologies, International Political Economy, Seminar on Strategy & Diplomacy, Non-traditional Security, Strategic Study & Diplomacy, Diplomatic Theory & Practice, International Security Issue, International Law & Organisation, Research Thesis.

• For clarification• drdavidling@gmail.com