PanIIT Conference Program: On Dec 21st (Sunday), at 11:30 am, two noted strategic thinkers - Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institute and Prof. Kishore Mahbubani from NUS, Singapore - will discuss the strategic challenges and opportunities ahead of India in the next 15 years.

I had the opportunity to interview Prof Cohen and here is what he has to say on his session on ‘Srategic Challenges & Opportunities for India”.

[Pradeep]: At your session at Pandit 2008, what topics will you speak on? Can you give us the highlights for the audience?

[Prof Cohen]: I wanted to address the structural and policy barriers that lie in the way of India, especially security related concerns, where my expertise is greater. Sadly, this becomes even more relevant as a result of the Mumbai event.

[Pradeep]: What are the key challenges ahead of India on its way to become the global superpower?

[Prof Cohen]: India already is a superpower in many ways, it is a cultural superpower, it is a major player in IT, and, to my surprise, it is becoming a manufacturing center. (I remember the days when “Made in India” was a curse word, but then this was true when I was a child and “made in Japan” was a synonym for poor quality).

[Pradeep]: How can India leverage the current global economic downturn to continue its growth over the next 10-15 years?

[Prof Cohen]: Indian growth has always been balanced—some service, some raw materials and some manufacturing, topped by a high-tech frosting. (pardon the mixed metaphor). But there has always been a heavy government hand, one that provides neither a social safety net nor the incentive necessary for investors. Getting the government out of the way is important, but so is getting the government to provide the basic services required of a modern state.

[Pradeep]: What role does relationship between India and Pakistan plays in the future growth of both the countries?

[Prof Cohen]: After Mumbai, the critical importance of each fort the other is more evident, but I’ve always argued that a confused Indian policy towards Pakistan would hold India back (said this back in 1979, as I recall). Indians cant decide whether they want to embrace Pakistan, destroy it, or ignore it. Now, it is clear that this know-nothing and do-nothing policy will not work, and that India needs to work with a coalition of concerned states to free it of this burden. Clearly, there is no military solution.

[Pradeep]: If you were to make amendments in Indian Foreign Policy, what changes will you make?

[Prof Cohen]: Work with other states to form a “rescue Pakistan” coalition. Allowing Pakistan to drift will not work, trying to break it up creates great risks, ignoring it is no solution either.

[Pradeep]: In your view, how will Indo-US nuclear deal contribute to India’s growth over the next decade?

[Prof Cohen]: It will open up some new arenas for economic and technical cooperation, it has removed a terrible shadow that has hung over the relationship for decades, but it also provides India with an opportunity to put its policy where its mouth has been regarding containing the spread of nuclear weapons.

[Pradeep]: At your session at PanIIT 2008, what do you like the attendees of your session to walk away with?

[Prof Cohen]: The privileged elites of India should act responsibly and seek the same degree of competence in governance that it has itself demonstrated in technology, business, and the arts. It should not view politics as dirty, or someone else’s job, but it must enter the political arena as a force for positive change.

Check out the daily program outline for complete details about conference program.

Many of us in the Program committee have been working on ‘Superstar’ sessions - the ones all of us will get to hear and interact with in the Plenary sessions. Sarath Naru, Prof Nagarajan, Raghu Mendu, myself and many others from the other committees including Santhanam, have been at it for close to a year. We had a ‘long list’ of over 40 topics and possible speakers, and I trust the final list of sessions and speakers embodies the ‘Inspire Innovate Transform’ theme.

The tragic events in Mumbai over the last few days will certainly find an echo in all the plenary sessions, starting with the macro picture from the PM and the FM (and Raghuram Rajan), the corporate view (three Tata CEOs), the academic view and also the strategic view (Profs Cohen and Mahbubani).

I request you all to use this Blog and the Face-to-face channel to discuss and debate what we can do and where we can help