The fifth edition of the Raisina Dialogue, organized virtually this year, aimed to engage with the leitmotifs of this pandemic year, mirroring the theme of the Raisina Dialogue 2021 i.e., “#ViralWorld: Outbreaks, Outliers and Out of Control”. Within this overarching theme, Five Pillars and areas of discussion were probed and analyzed by heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials, who were joined by thought leaders from the private sector, media and academia. The Five Pillars are:
- WHO’se Multilateralism? Reconstructing the UN and Beyond
- Securing and Diversifying Supply Chains
- Global 'Public Bads': Holding Actors and Nations to Account
- Infodemic: Navigating a 'No-Truth' World in the age of Big Brother
- The Green Stimulus: Investing in Gender, Growth and Development
KAS India as well as KAS HQ, Germany partnered on various sessions, bringing together Members of German and European Parliaments, policy experts and cream of academia. The highlight was an interview with Ms. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the serving Federal Minister of Defence, Germany and Former Leader of the Christian Democratic Union, who was interviewed by Ms. Amrita Narlikar, President (GIGA) on Germany’s engagement and strategies for the Indo-Pacific.
Another highlight was the panel discussion on “Reclaiming Europe: Navigating the Political Compass” which dealt with the existing debates and disagreements between EU member-states and was moderated by Dr. Garima Mohan from GMF. Mr. Peter Rimmele, who is the current Resident Representative to India, introduced this panel to the audience and accentuated the need to pursue a common goal of creating unity between fellow Europeans. He highlighted that the economic and the social well-being of smaller nations depends on a stronger unity amongst the better established nations of the EU.
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, also brought Member of the German Parliament, Mr. Jürgen Hardt, to thepanel discussionon Day 3 titled “An Ocean too far:The future of the Transatlantic Relationship”.The panelists discussed the future contours of the transatlantic relations given the fact that the western world will emerge from a pandemic and a Biden administration in place in the USA. The session also talked about the revival of the US-EU trade and technology norms as well as a stronger& efficient enforcement of NATO’s strategic goals.
The links to the panels are appended below for your reference:
Germany and the World: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Minister of Defense, Germany
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrG_9S2DOpQ
Reclaiming Europe: Navigating the Political Compass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw_gR1KoHF8
An Ocean too far:The future of the Transatlantic Relationship