3W7A1100 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

GOIGD 2017: Valedictory Address by Gen. (Retd) Dr. V.K. Singh

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Hon'ble Gen. (Retd) Dr. V.K. Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India delivered the Valedictory Address on Aligning Foreign Policy with Domestic Interests at India’s second Gateway of India Geoeconomic Dialogue conference in Mumbai, organised in association with the Ministry of External Affairs. Singh speech discussed the importance of the implementation of foreign and domestic policies to further domestic economic interests.

28912263963_0b75893744_h Courtesy: MEA/ Flickr
14 February 2017

Indo-Pacific: a scenario of possibilities

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The Indo-Pacific region is home to some of the largest and most rapidly growing economies as also powerful military forces. Nuclear threats, international terrorism and climate change are some of the issues that define the region. Uncertainty dogs relations among the four nations in the top league—U.S., China, India and Japan—but what is emerging is a hawkish, policy stance from the U.S. as opposed to an isolationist outlook apprehended earlier

1200px-Malabar_07-2_exercise Courtesy: Wikipedia
14 February 2017

A democratic quadrilateral in Asia?

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A strategic coming together of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India was close to fruition some years ago, impelled initially by the tsunami of 2004. The spirit of the enterprise remains alive even now, and there are many merits in India joining the quad, but such an arrangement can skew existing Asian equations, jeopardising the Act East policy

RBI Courtesy: India.com
14 February 2017

Retreat of globalisation: central banks in the crosshairs

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Central banks play a critical role in forging the country’s international economic relations. Now, with the rule-based order being reset and new regimes getting established, they are better positioned to influence the playing field. It is, therefore, critical to strengthen the Reserve Bank of India so it can drive an agenda closer to the interests of emerging countries. This will also be a test of India’s future leadership capabilities

3W7A1043 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

India-Israel: potential for collaboration on defence and cybersecurity

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In his interview, Rear Admiral (Retd.) Ophir Shoham discusses Israel’s liberal cybersecurity policies and the high levels of export in the cybersecurity sector. According to him, transfer of technology is imperative for Digital India, as for a country to become digital, Infrastructure is most important which is protected by cybersecurity. In the defence space, he mentions the close relationship India and Israel share despite it being a sensitive area. He prescribes a collaboration between the two countries to build weapon systems that they can use to customize defense equipment for the Indian defense system and the Israeli defense system.

3W7A0521 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

Tax evasion can be tackled with global cooperation

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In Monica Bhatia's interview, she discusses the changes in the global financial sector in the wake of the Panama papers and the HSBC files, mainly the increase in transparency between banks and governments. She highlights her belief in the Automatic Global Tax Information Sharing Network in countering tax evasion and the success of the methods that governments have already undertaken to enable voluntary disclosures. Lastly, she illustrates the measures under the BEPS system on tax compliance.

3W7A1058 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

India-Thales: Transfer of technology and developing supply chains

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In Alexis Dalem's interview he discusses areas on which Thales and India have collaborated in the past and can collaborate in the future, in the defense, security and aerospace spheres, and under the Make in India policy. He laid emphasis on Thales's policy of willingness for technology transfer and production in India and their ambition to co-develop products and export from India, since they have a strong belief in India's industrial competitiveness and skilled workforce. He further applauds Modi's recent FDI changes in India as it allows for this technology transfer, enables Thales to retain a certain level of control in their subsidiaries in India and creates an investment positive business environment.

3W7A0341 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

Private Sector and Multilateral Institutions: sources of green finance

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In Amar Bhattacharya's interview he discusses the desperate need for additional finance to succeed in implementing measures for climate change mitigation. He stresses on the special need for countries like India to access capital, make this transition, and serve as an example for other emerging markets. He highlights the importance of the private sector in entering the green financing sphere as well as the need for the government to establish the blueprint and safety nets necessary to enable these private financiers to invest in green infrastructure.

3W7A0452 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

Russia’s financial resiliency and capabilities

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In this interview Anastasia Likhacheva discusses the impact and a few of the positive externalities of the oil price drop, sanctions and counter sanctions on the Russian economy. Despite Trump’s obvious warmth towards Russia, she doesn’t foresee any major agreements signed between the two countries due to the roadblocks that can be placed by the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate. She further describes the role she sees Russia undertaking in Asian financial institutions like the NDB and the AIIB in the future.

3W7A0670 Courtesy: Gateway House
14 February 2017

Reversal of brain-drain and the importance of Innovations Clusters

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Clas Neumann in his interview envisions the new type of globalisation that the digital economy has created. The increase in distribution of work and revolution of global supply chains. He discusses the winners and losers of the changes in the H1B visa systems, specifically the brain drain reversal, and the alterations the Indian business model needs to make to adjust to these changes. He further emphasises on the idea that for technology companies to foster and develop, their closeness to "innovation clusters" is most important. And describes the role of governments in enabling the cultivating of digital spaces and digital cities.