Does India have a strategic culture? Does India display strategic thought and action on global affairs? There is wide-spread skepticism about India having any grand strategy, but are people mistaking form for substance? Dhruva Jaishankar argues that India indeed has a vibrant strategic culture on Episode 85 of The Pragati Podcast.

The Pragati Podcast is a weekly talkshow on public policy, economics and international affairs, hosted by Pavan Srinath.

Dhruva Jaishankar is Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings India in New Delhi and the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow with the Lowy Institute in Australia. His research examines India’s role in the international system and the effects of global developments on India’s politics, economics, and society, with a particular focus on India’s relations with the United States, the Indo-Pacific, and Europe.

Dhruva and Pavan talk about why many believe that India lacks a strategic culture, explore India's national security apparatus, examine India's grand strategy since achieving independence, and what major strategic challenges the Republic needs to face in the coming years and decades.

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Some suggested readings:

Dhruva Jaishankar's book chapter "Indian Strategy in a Non-Strategic Age": https://www.brookings.edu/research/indian-strategy-in-a-non-strategic-age/

Nitin Pai's 2012 Subbu Forum Memorial Lecture: "K Subrahmanyam and India’s Strategic Culture": http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2012/02/k-subrahmanyam-and-india%E2%80%99s-strategic-culture/

Pranay Kotasthane's Review of Neil Padukone's book Beyond South Asia: http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2015/03/indias-grand-strategy-for-the-21st-century/

Kannada barutta? Check out the Thale-Harate Kannada Podcast, co-hosted by Pavan Srinath. Explore episodes on India's and Karnataka's budgets, and find out how city planning works in Bengaluru. ಬನ್ನಿ ಹರಟೆ ಹೊಡಿಯೋಣ! http://ivmpodcasts.com/harate-kannada-podcast/

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