Abstract: Diplomacy is not foreign policy; it is the instrument through which a state implements its foreign policy. As Ambassador Shyam Saran puts it, if foreign policy is the weapon, diplomacy is its delivery vehicle. The turbulence of the current international situation poses significant challenges to Indian foreign policy. Ambassador Saran will examine these challenges and discuss how India can address them.

About the Speaker: Shyam Saran is a former Foreign Secretary of India and has served as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change. He has served as India’s ambassador to Nepal, Myanmarand Indonesia and High Commissioner to Mauritius. After leaving government service in 2010, he headed the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a prestigious think tank focusing on economic issues (2011-2017) and was Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board under the National Security Council (2013-15). He is currently President of India International Centre, Member of the Governing Board of the Centre for Policy Research and of the Institute of Chinese Studies. He has published two books; How India Sees the World and How China Sees India and the World. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 2011 for his contributions to civil service. In May 2019, he was conferred the Spring Order Gold and Silver Star by the Emperor of Japan for promoting India-Japan relations.