Dr Sameer Patil is a Senior Fellow at ORF Mumbai. His research focuses on the intersection of technology and national security, including cybersecurity. He worked as Assistant Director in National Security Council Secretariat under the Prime Minister’s Office. He has also participated in several dialogues after the 2008 Mumbai attacks with the US and UK. He is the author of Securing India in the Cyber Era (Routledge, 2022) and has co-edited Moving Forward EU-India Relations: The Significance of the Security Dialogues (Edizioni Nuova Cultura, 2017).
We discussed how India's defence systems have developed since its independence. How is it different from our neighbouring Pakistan? How have things changed post-26/11 Mumbai attacks? What was working in National Security Council Secretariat like? What is the current situation of the India-China relationship?
Our conversation is in Marathi.
Podcast Content:
2:40 - Interview Starts
4:03 - Origins of the concept of 'Think-Tank'
10:05 - Work of ORF (Observer Research Foundation)
10:50 - Sameer's role at ORF
12:35 - Various other Indian think tanks working in Defence/Strategic Studies areas
14:47 - Interlinkage of Defence Policy and Economics
20:52 - What kind of defence system we inherited from the British government and how did the Indian government change it?
28:15 - What's the difference between India's and Pakistan's defence systems?
31:57 - What triggered the military coup in Pakistan?
33:39 - Can India witness a military coup ever? (Hypothetically)
36:50 - On the Civil-Military relationship
38:40 - Role of various committees and consultative mechanism
40:31 - Importance of diversity in Indian military
42:50 - Why Nehru created paramilitary forces?
47:56 - Sameer's role at National Security Council Secretariat
54:06 - How to connect the dots between various tips by different security agencies and understand patterns of terrorism?
57:50 - How much is this similar to what is shown in the movies?
59:09 - What changed post-26/11 Mumbai attacks?
1:04:20 - Lone-wolf - A new challenge for counter-terrorism!
1:07:36 - How to tackle radicalisation?
1:08:50 - Deradicalisation and Counter-radicalisation
1:09:35 - Role of Google's Redirect program
1:12:47 - Present geopolitical situation
1:14:20 - Is Sameer optimistic about peaceful new world order?
1:19:40 - 'Realism' in international cooperation
1:21:00 - Polarisation like Cold-War and Emergence of the Third Bloc
1:27:43 - India - China Relationship Status
1:34:15 - Inviting China to G20 Summit this year at New Delhi
1:37:22 - How to study defence policies / strategic studies / public policies?
Follow Sameer -
Twitter - @SameerP_IND - https://twitter.com/SameerP_IND
ORF - https://www.orfonline.org/people-expert/sameer-patil/
Further References:
- Sameer's Books: Securing India in the Cyber Era (Routledge, 2022)
- Sameer's Article on Civil-Military Relationship discussed in the video
- Recommended Course on Public Policy - Takshashila Institution
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