Takshashila Conference on Understanding the Post-Pandemic World
Takshashila Institution organised a Conference on Understanding the Post-Pandemic World on Wednesday, 8th February 2023 at its office. The conference focused on resetting our common understanding of the post-pandemic world based on the latest geopolitical, geo-economic & tech trends. Nitin Pai, Director of Takshashila Institution, chaired the conference.
Anupam Manur, Assistant Professor at Takshashila Institution, kickstarted the conference with a paper presentation titled ‘Dominant Economic Narratives in the Post-Pandemic World’. He argued that narratives around protectionism, self-reliance, securing supply chains, friend-shoring, decline of WTO, ballooning debt & concentration of market power are shaping today’s impeded globalisation.
Manoj Kewalramani, Chair of Indo-Pacific Studies & Fellow-China Studies at Takshashila Institution, presented a paper on ‘Great Power Competition in the Indo Pacific’. He contested that the world order today can be characterised as great power competition in an increasingly multipolar world. This allows middle power countries to engage in greater activism, adventurism & transactionalism.
Shambhavi Naik, Head of Research at Takshashila Institution, presented her paper on ‘Biotechnology & Geopolitics’, in which she argues that as countries compete in the biotech sector, trade, food security, energy security, health & climate policy is likely to be impacted. Boosting its bioeconomy will bear rich geopolitical dividends for India.
Finally, Pranay Kotashtane, Deputy Director of Takshashila Institution presented his paper on ‘High-Technology & Geopolitics’. High-technology has emerged as a critical component of national power. He argued that trade wars now are likely to be tech wars at their core & de-coupling might be most successful in the high-tech sector.
In the post-pandemic world order, we are likely to witness intense national competition & contestation, especially over trade, technology & security. To maximise national power countries must look to ally themselves astutely as the great power competition plays out in years to come.
