On March 1, a conference of intelligence and security chiefs was held in India. This significant global event saw participants from 26 different countries, making it a melting pot of strategic discussions and diplomatic negotiations. The first conference was hosted in April 2022, a day before the start of the Raisina Dialogue, with the Indian Prime Minister and National Security Advisor (NSA) addressing the gathering.
Details About the Conference
This conference, part of the larger Raisina Dialogue, was organized by India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), which reports to the NSA. The objective of this meeting was to discuss the ongoing geopolitical tensions, with a key focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It provided a platform for exchange of views, deliberations, and suggestions about crisis management.
The meeting was configured along the lines of international standards like the Munich Security Conference and Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue. Coinciding with the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting and the Raisina Dialogue, the conference saw India asserting its leadership role as it is set to chair both G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023.
Notably, while the United States was absent, intelligence heads from the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Bahrain were among the attendees.
Insights into the Raisina Dialogue
The Raisina Dialogue holds the distinction of being India’s foremost congregation on geopolitics and geoeconomics, aimed at addressing the global community’s most exigent issues. Hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, it is a platform for multi-dimensional, cross-sectoral debates.
The 2023 edition of the Raisina Dialogue is encapsulated by the theme “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest?”. The discussion involves not just heads of state and cabinet ministers, but also local government officials, private sector leaders, media representatives, and academicians.
Snapshot of the Observer Research Foundation
The Observer Research Foundation, an independent think tank based out of New Delhi with centres in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, seeks to foster policy thinking towards building a stronger India within an equitable global construct. Its mission includes carrying Indian voices and ideas to forums that shape global debates.
The Foundation provides well-researched, unbiased analyses and inputs to decision-makers across governments, business communities, academia, and civil society worldwide, thereby strengthening India’s contribution to global policy discussions.
Note: All information sourced from The Hindu.