<p>Bengaluru: Indian strategic thinkers congregated in the city to dissect global risks and chart a course for the nation's future at Synergia Foundation's Round Table on 'Global Futures 2035,' held in the city on Friday. </p><p>The event, held to launch the foundation's 300-page report, featured an array of distinguished speakers, including former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, former National Security Adviser (NSA) and Governor of West Bengal M K Narayanan, former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and senior defence officials to foreign dignitaries from Russia and Sri Lanka </p><p>In his keynote address, M K Narayanan argued that the third world war is no longer a "pipe dream" but a serious possibility, pointing towards the ongoing conflagrations in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific involving China and its rivals, backed by the US. Narayanan described the current geopolitical landscape as extremely precarious, noting that a single spark could ignite a major global conflict.</p><p>He also assessed the "puzzling" role of the United States, calling it "tantamount to a rogue superpower" that is increasingly inward looking and less interested in shaping the global order. And he advised India to exercise "needful restraint" in the Indo-Pacific, warning that a conflict here could become the precursor to a third World War.</p>.Tolullah Oni: Expert who spoke at Nobel Prize Dialogue wants health-first cities.<p>Following Narayanan, Nirupama Rao offered a nuanced vision for India's foreign policy, pivoting the concept of strategic autonomy from a strategy of "distance or avoidance" to one of sovereign choice and influence. She emphasised that today's world is more "fluid, unpredictable, and less accommodating" than the Cold War era.</p><p>Rao stressed that strategic autonomy must be backed by capability strengthening India in areas like technology, advanced manufacturing, and resilient supply chains to become "indispensable" globally. She outlined six pillars for India's future, including building domestic capability, adopting a smarter trade strategy, and maintaining diplomatic flexibility. She highlighted that India’s role as a stabiliser in the middle, capable of speaking to Washington and Beijing, is a powerful form of strategic influence.</p><p>Rao concluded with a civilisational reminder that the future is something that is created through action and choice. India's next phase of statecraft, she argued, must focus on moving from being merely autonomous to becoming autonomous and indispensable.</p><p>The event featured an array of distinguished speakers like M Maheshwar Rao Chief Commissioner (GBA), Selvakumar Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries Department and other senior officials were present.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Indian strategic thinkers congregated in the city to dissect global risks and chart a course for the nation's future at Synergia Foundation's Round Table on 'Global Futures 2035,' held in the city on Friday. </p><p>The event, held to launch the foundation's 300-page report, featured an array of distinguished speakers, including former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, former National Security Adviser (NSA) and Governor of West Bengal M K Narayanan, former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and senior defence officials to foreign dignitaries from Russia and Sri Lanka </p><p>In his keynote address, M K Narayanan argued that the third world war is no longer a "pipe dream" but a serious possibility, pointing towards the ongoing conflagrations in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific involving China and its rivals, backed by the US. Narayanan described the current geopolitical landscape as extremely precarious, noting that a single spark could ignite a major global conflict.</p><p>He also assessed the "puzzling" role of the United States, calling it "tantamount to a rogue superpower" that is increasingly inward looking and less interested in shaping the global order. And he advised India to exercise "needful restraint" in the Indo-Pacific, warning that a conflict here could become the precursor to a third World War.</p>.Tolullah Oni: Expert who spoke at Nobel Prize Dialogue wants health-first cities.<p>Following Narayanan, Nirupama Rao offered a nuanced vision for India's foreign policy, pivoting the concept of strategic autonomy from a strategy of "distance or avoidance" to one of sovereign choice and influence. She emphasised that today's world is more "fluid, unpredictable, and less accommodating" than the Cold War era.</p><p>Rao stressed that strategic autonomy must be backed by capability strengthening India in areas like technology, advanced manufacturing, and resilient supply chains to become "indispensable" globally. She outlined six pillars for India's future, including building domestic capability, adopting a smarter trade strategy, and maintaining diplomatic flexibility. She highlighted that India’s role as a stabiliser in the middle, capable of speaking to Washington and Beijing, is a powerful form of strategic influence.</p><p>Rao concluded with a civilisational reminder that the future is something that is created through action and choice. India's next phase of statecraft, she argued, must focus on moving from being merely autonomous to becoming autonomous and indispensable.</p><p>The event featured an array of distinguished speakers like M Maheshwar Rao Chief Commissioner (GBA), Selvakumar Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries Department and other senior officials were present.</p>