Which foreign or trade policy issue are you most interested in tackling?
Emerging challenges around human and environmental security have always been my core area of work and focus for close to 20 years. These emerging challenges are no longer country specific and human and environmental security in one part of the world will affect another. Countries can no longer afford to think of their foreign policy as a separate from the risks and opportunities that arise from rethinking our collective human security future. How they relate to foreign and security policy, and how we can leverage the emerging research around this relationship is what is of most interest and value to me and my career path.
How is your research going to promote policy translation and public discourse in Australia and/or India?
As part of the fellowship, the plan with LTU is to ensure that research and analysis is not only for policy makers but also for the wider governance space interested in India-Australia relations and human and environmental security. While public lectures and events in think tanks and universities across Australia will aid in building a better understanding, I will also aim to write in various medium to sensitize the public on what India’s goals and ambitions are and how a stronger relationship can be ensured. Lastly, while academic writing is necessary to inform the next generation of scholars and thinkers, as someone who runs a think tank and works directly with governments, I understand the value of short pithy policy pieces that are targeted and action oriented.
What are you most excited for during your trip to Australia?
I look forward to engaging with the wider foreign policy making ecosystem in Australia, from those working directly within the government as well as the wider space of academic institutions, think tanks and expert that work with the government to understand better the future trajectory of the country and how the relationship with India can be better informed. I see both countries at the cusp of playing a much wider role in the global sphere on a number of governance issues and a better understanding of their future could serve to ensure that there is a deeper more symbiotic relationship. I am also excited to experience first-hand some of the very fundamental changes that Australia is going through, from emerging conversations on gender and foreign policy to how communities and culture play an important role in domestic and subsequently foreign policy, questions that India is also grappling with.