Dimapur, March 19 (MExN): The Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung will be conducting an international conference on ‘India’s Extended Neighbourhood Convergence Interests (ICIENCI 2023)’ on March 23 at the college campus. The conference is organised by the Research and Development Cell (RDC), Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, and granted by Indian Council of Social Science Research, according to a press release received here on Sunday.
As per the release, the concept of “extended neighbourhood” is frequently portrayed by academics and other professionals as a more recent addition to India’s external policy discourse and practice. The concept has been gradually impacting India’s foreign policy ever since independence, however, the word “extended neighbourhood” has become more popular in the last two decades or so in the expression of India’s concerns about contemporary politics.
It said that the term “extended neighbourhood” has philosophical ethos and is likely one of the earliest expressions of the globalist perspective on international relations. It was a compact summary of the idea of a single universe in which events in one region always have an effect on the other polar end, even distantly. India’s engagement with the world, especially its extended neighbourhood is driven by this sense of humanity’s interconnectedness and shared aspirations.
In the Indian context, the term extended neighbourhood refers to countries sharing land and maritime borders with India such as China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia, apart from South Asia, it said.
The release also noted that greater engagement and reorientation of India’s policy and strategic goals are required to bring closer to one another-geographically, economically, and culturally. As among the top fastest leading largest economies in world, India is most likely candidate to lead strategically significant Asia in the latter half of this century, it maintained. In this context, it viewed that India’s policy towards her extended neighbourhood has to be very sensitive, guided by a strategic vision, and the country should walk a very delicate balance to achieve her objective. The conference will explore in detail many of these issues related to the concept of India’s extended neighbourhood and its ramifications, it added.
Further, it noted that it is crucial to monitor the many facets of the new Asian alignments and India’s involvement with its extended neighbourhood in this framework. The purpose of the conference is to identify prospects and challenges in India’s near east that are crucial to India’s ongoing transformation and its place in the world.
The conference aims to study its impact on changing geopolitical alignments in the region; investigate its potential for diplomatic, socio-economic and cultural growth and development of India’s extended neighbourhood; identify competing and interlocking interests and work towards deepening relations with India’s near east; investigate the regional diversity, environmental mitigation, tourism, religious, migration and displacement and dialogue of multiple identities; and advance India’s efforts to take on a bigger role in Asia by bringing the nations together on a common platform and making the “Asian Century” dream a reality; as well as other subthemes.
As per the release, the conference presentations module includes conference theme keynote address, invited lectures of the sub-themes, and contributory research papers.
Details for registration and other information can be accessed on the college portal (www.fac.ac.in), the release informed.
