The Department of International Relations is delighted to invite you to the IR department talk by Prof Kanti Bajpai on 17th Oct at 1.45.  The session will be interactive and students will be encouraged to ask questions!

ABSTRACT: The reigning international order, often described as the Liberal International Order (LIO), is widely described as in decline or broken. Asian countries, including India, have subscribed to this idea, privately and/or publicly, and seek the LIO’s reform or replacement. What exactly are Asians unhappy about, and what do they want instead? Are Asians just grumbling resentfully at the dominance of the Western countries, or do they have a coherent set of ideas about a preferred or modified order? I argue it is not enough to periodically grumble about the current order. Asians and others will have to articulate reforms and alternatives that could build a better set of norms, institutions, and practices for a diverse and increasingly dangerous world. This talk will share thoughts on some early work on mapping Asian ideas.

Speaker: Kanti Bajpai is Wilmar Professor of Asian Studies and Vice Dean Research and Development, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. Before this, he taught at Oxford University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Maharajah Sayajirao University of Baroda and held visiting appointments at the University of Illinois (Urbana- Champaign), the Brookings Institution, and the Australian Defence Force Academy. His research interests are Asian international and strategic thought, strategic culture studies, India’s foreign policy and national security, and South Asia. His most recent books are the edited volume, How Realist is India’s National Security Policy (2023), the single-authored book, India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends (2021), and the Routledge Handbook of China-India Relations (2020; edited with Selina Ho and Manjari Chatterjee Miller). With Evan Laksmana (IISS-Singapore), he co-edited a special section of ten articles in the journal International Affairs (July 2023)) on Asian conceptions of international order. He is currently writing a book on India’s national security.
 

Refreshments will be served at the venue. We look forward to having you with us.

Warm Regards,

Department of International Relations