New Delhi

The Centre for Research on Strategic and Security (NatStrat) launched its portal on Monday. The portal has eminent people including the former Army chief, Naval chief, and foreign secretary level people writing on geopolitics, national security, and technology and economy.

Launching the portal, Pankaj Saran, convenor of NatStrat, said the portal will focus on the authentic Indian perspective on issues facing the country. Shantanu Mukherji, a former IPS officer is the advisor at NatStrat. 

During the launch of the portal, Saran said, "the world has undergone major changes in the last few years. The post-World War II international order looks increasingly frayed and outdated. The US and China are competitors and collaborators. The global strategic landscape is shifting, creating unknown and unpredictable security challenges for nations."

"Even as old threats remain, new threats to societies have emerged from climate change, inequality, unemployment, and extremism. Technology has become the new determinant and metric of national power."

“The distinction between internal and external threats has become blurred. The meaning of national security has changed. We need a holistic and integrated approach to deal with the contemporary world,” he added.

He further said this is also leading to the transformation of India. “India’s population is larger than the population of Europe and the US combined. It has become the fifth-largest economy. The challenges faced by India to accelerate its pace of development, safeguard its civilizational values and secure itself are of gigantic proportion. They do not have a parallel. We have to find Indian solutions for Indian realities. We have to think on a scale that is commensurate with our size.”

Besides, Pankaj Saran said, since with the world’s growing interest in India, our views are subjected to global scrutiny. “India’s opinions are visible on all issues ranging from climate change to terrorism. As India finds its rightful place in the world, it faces headwinds from the established order.”

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According to Pankaj Saran, the Ukraine conflict and the Covid pandemic are a reality check for India’s national power, just as the rise of China is. India has had to defend its interests and provide solutions, even as our State and other institutions are overwhelmed with day-to-day governance challenges.