‘If Singapore can set up a world class institute of International Studies,then India can do much better’

There are striking differences between the political societies of these two countries. While China is a closed political society,India happens to be an open political society. Consequently,one would expect India to have more debate within about its global responsibilities,as it emerges stronger by the day. Paradoxically,the amount of scholarship in the field of International Studies in China seems to be more than that in India. Several centres and universities from China are in the top league as far as the study of International Relations is concerned and they are tying up with the best think tanks in the US.

What is lacking in India?

All this and related issues have been outlined in the report of the Workshop on International Studies in India that was held at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. One of the key recommendations of the report is that India needs to set up more institutes of International Studies. Not enough is being done in the International Studies schools and by the think tanks in India. This has also to do with the current higher education setup here. Global ranking of universities reveal that the universities from Japan,Korea and Singapore find place in the top 100 list,but not a single university from India finds a place in the list. Paradoxically,many top professors in universities abroad are Indians. I suspect India will be the leading country of origin for scholars in universities abroad. While handing over the report to the Prime Minister,I mentioned that how scholars from various parts of the world,at the micro-level,want to help India. I hope our report will act as a catalyst to bring about the needful change. We at the LKY are going to have more interaction with India in this field.

Is there also a need for re-orientation of the focus of International Studies in India?

The focus in India has been on issues related to the Non-Aligned Movement. The work on traditional topics like the Non-Aligned Movement should continue.

But the world wants to know about India’s thinking on international relations. India is aspiring for a permanent seat in the UNSC,higher voting share in the IMF and all these demands for larger share in global political and economic power are legitimate. But the global community wants to know what India will use these powers for. What new ideas does India bring to the table? How is it going to review the IMF? How is it going to provide leadership in the Doha round of trade talks? The global community wants to know about India and India must increase the focus on these issues.

There have been significant area studies programmes in India. How relevant are they? Do they need re-orientation?

My view has been that one of the weaknesses of the US universities has been that the social science research there has become completely mechanical. They use data from developed Western societies,despite the fact that these societies reflect the picture of only a small fraction of the world. In this context,area studies programmes are very important and Asian universities should conduct more area studies programmes. The Chinese negotiating a trade pact with ASEAN members ahead of Japan,Obama attending the ASEAN meeting despite the presence of Burmese representatives — these are all geo-political moves,based on the needs and understanding of the region by countries. Geo-politics is going to stay for coming centuries and the understanding of areas/regions remains an important aspect of forging relationships required for geo-political needs. In case of India,we have recommended compulsory course in foreign language for the researchers in area studies. This will enhance the capability of scholars to understand better the areas/regions to produce better insights about them.

What would it take to create world class institutions and programmes in India in this field?

One of the seven pillars of Western wisdom is pragmatism. Around 1860,the Japanese saw India colonised and China humiliated by the Western powers and they realised that Asia was slow at adapting to changes. Pragmatically,they began their reforms. India does not need to start from scratch in this field. It can start by learning from the best schools and universities in this field from across the world. It is considered that building world class institutes in this field needs a long time. In this context,I want to point out the example of the LKY,which was set up in 2004 and got a place for itself in two globally renowned associations — Professional Schools of International Affairs and Global Public Policy Network. In less than four years,we were admitted into the first league. We studied the curriculum of Harvard and other best schools and adopted their best practices and lessons to suit our needs. This may provide an example for setting up similar world class institutes in India. If Singapore can do it,then India,with its large pool of human resources to build upon,can do much better.

What about professional development of the faculty and students in this field?

Our school was set up at the right location,at the right time. Twenty years ago,scholars hesitated to come to Asia,but now scholars want to come back to Asian universities. This gives an opportunity to recruit the best. In case of India,it has a huge talent pool. Even if a large number of brilliant students choose some other streams,there will be still enough number of brilliant students and faculty that can compete with the best in the world. There is also a global interest in collaboration with Indian think tanks. No other institute can understand India better than an Indian one. This can be leveraged for foreign collaboration,which will add to the development of institutions and faculty in India. It is important to train young talent,rather than relying on retired diplomats to undertake scholarly works in these fields. The government should help develop a fresh crop of PhDs in this field for research and teaching that will contribute in the long term.

What are the new areas of focus under International Studies programme?

It is difficult to find a completely new field of research in this field. Things are related and need to be focused,based on the need of the country. The companies in the West have realised that they need to have some strategy for India and China and so there is need for research in these areas. In overarching terms,there is a need for more focus on the issues of global governance. Financial crisis,H1N1,climate change,terrorism are issues the global community needs to deal with collaboratively. How to deal with such situations is something that needs to be worked upon by the scholars.