ANANTA INVITE: Conference on Confrontations and Conflicts in West Asia: Challenges for India | 15th January, 2016 | WWF Auditorium, New Delhi

From: "Kiran Pasricha" <admin@anantacentre.in> Thu, 7 Jan '16 6:12p

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presents
Conference on Confrontations and Conflicts in West Asia: Challenges for India​
EVENT DETAILS
DATE		Friday, 15th January, 2016
TIME		10:00 AM – 04:30 PM (Registration: 9:30 AM)
LOCATION		WWF Auditorium, 172-B, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi – 110003
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM		Opening Session: Overview of the West Asian Scenario
SPEAKERS		Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and UAE (Conference Chair)  Ambassador Rajendra Abhyankar, Professor of Practice of Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington and  Former Ambassador of India to Syria and Turkey
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM		Session I: The Saudi-Iran Confrontation and Proxy Wars in West Asia
CHAIR		Mr Siddharth Varadarajan, Editor, The Wire
SPEAKERS		Dr. Gulshan Dietl, Professor (Retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University Ms. Kanchi Gupta, Associate Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
12:00 PM – 01:00 PM		Session II: The proliferation of Jihad in West Asia
CHAIR		Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and UAE
SPEAKERS		Mr. Mudddassir  Quamar, Centre for West Asian Studies, JNU Dr Zakir Hussain, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM		Lunch
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM		Session III: Role of the Regional and Big Powers in the West Asian Conflicts
CHAIR		Ambassador Sanjay Singh, Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
SPEAKERS		Mr. Rajeev Agarwal, Political Analyst and Strategic Affairs writer Dr. N Janardhan, Political Analyst, Dubai
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM		Session IV: Challenges for India – Shaping Collective Security Arrangements in West Asia
CHAIR		Ambassador Ranjit Gupta, Former Ambassador to Oman, Thailand and Spain
SPEAKERS		Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, Former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and UAE Dr. Meena Singh Roy, Research Fellow and Coordinator, West Asia Centre, IDSA
ABOUT THE EVENT
Over the last 25 years, West Asia has been in the throes of instability. More recently, the region has been experiencing what has been referred to as “a period of tectonic and destructive change”, with Syria, Libya and Yemen in the grip of widespread civil conflict. The regional scenario has also seen the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a political and military power across large parts of Iraq and Syria, with its territories now proclaimed as the "Caliphate" of the Islamic State (IS). After a decade of diplomatic effort, Iran reached a landmark nuclear agreement with the U.S. and five other world powers. However, its implications for a region with widespread local conflicts, that have been further exacerbated by the interventions of regional powers, are far from clear. East of the Gulf, in South Asia, there is continued conflict in Afghanistan between the Taliban and a weak central authority. The Al Qaeda-fomented extremist violence originates in Pakistan but its destructive tentacles reach across South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, large parts of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and now much of north and central Africa as well. These scenarios of continued competition and conflict have grave implications for India, whose energy and economic interests are closely tied with West Asia, besides of course the presence of its 8-million strong community in the Gulf whose welfare has been of paramount concern to successive governments in New Delhi. The Conference: “Confrontations and Conflicts in West Asia: Challenges for India” will discuss various aspects of the ongoing contentions and crises in West Asia, explore how they will impact on India's interests and how India should respond to these challenges.