As Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his second term in office, there is a palpable sense of anticipation about the trajectory of Indian foreign policy under his leadership. Indeed, the country’s foreign policy has undergone a remarkable transformation in the short span of five years since Modi first came to power in May 2014. No Indian prime minister has ever before generated the kind of tenor and volume of academic literature that Modi has, particularly in the field of foreign policy. Even the government’s critics have had to acknowledge the shift in India’s foreign policy. The Modi government has no doubt left its unique imprint in a short period of time; it has made clear its objective of positioning India as a leading global player.
What is in store for the next five years for Indian foreign policy, and what can the second term of the Modi government learn from its first five years of dealing with an increasingly volatile global landscape?
A new report by ORF titled ‘Looking back, looking ahead: Foreign policy in transition under Modi’ aims to look into some of these continuous challenges and makes recommendations on the same.
Harsh V. Pant, Director, Studies, ORF
Amb. Mohan Kumar, Chairman, RIS
Preeti Saran, Former Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
Shakti Sinha, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library
Suhasini Haidar, National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. | Registration
3:00 – 3:15 p.m. | Opening remarks by chair | Harsh V. Pant
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. | Remarks by Preeti Saran
3:30 – 3:45 p.m. | Remarks | Shakti Sinha
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. | Remarks | Suhasini Haidar
4:00 – 4:15 p.m. | Remarks | Amb. Mohan Kumar
4:15 – 4:50 p.m. | Q&A
4:50 – 5:00 p.m. | Closing remarks by chair
5:00 p.m. onwards | High tea
