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Reiterating India’s commitment to the prosperity and well-being of Iraq and help it with return of normalcy and in the task of reconstruction, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has said that strategic thinkers the world over would have to weigh the possible impact of the large and growing extra-regional militancy presence in West Asia. Inaugurating the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, the Prime Minister said that the Centre for West Asian Studies must play a role in sharpening the focus of both, the Government and academia on the vital area in our proximate neighbourhood.
Dr. Manmohan Singh said that there was ample potential for India to evolve broader long-term economic relationship with the West Asia region and that India could also examine a more proactive strategy of seeking investments from the region.
The Prime Minister underlined India’s continued success as a pluralistic democracy, which is an example of more harmonious “Third Way”, in contrast to “clash of civilizations”. He emphasised that the nation has remained an example of functioning diversity, characterised by a historic and civilizational tradition of tolerance. Dr. Singh pointed to India’s experience as a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic democracies, which is a living rejection of the theory of a clash of civilizations and proof of what is often called the “enduring confluence of civilizations”.
External Affairs Minister, Shri Natwar Singh and Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Prof. Mushirul Hasan were among those present on the occasion.
The following is the text of the Prime Minister’s address on the occasion:
“I am indeed very happy to be amongst you as this prestigious University takes another important step forward in its evolution as a leading Centre for learning and research. While my formal association with Jamia dates to my tenure as Chairman of the University Grants Commission, I have continued to watch the great strides Jamia has made over the years. I compliment all of you for the progress you have achieved, in particular since this institution became a Central University in 1988.
You have done very well but, I believe, the best is yet to come and in realising your dreams I assure you of the fullest cooperation.
Today’s event is certainly a very special moment in the 85-year old history of Jamia. We all recognize the pioneering role played by Jamia in our national movement, shaping the thinking of a generation of patriotic Indians. No less an authority on education than Gurudev Tagore described Jamia as “one of the most progressive educational institutions of India”.
As a former member of the academic fraternity, I have always believed that Universities are more than microcosms of society and havens of creativity and intellectual enterprise. Universities must also play a vital role to serve the society within which they are anchored. Maintaining the balance between a free flow of ideas and creativity, while retaining an institution’s moorings in the larger social environment is a task, that is both delicate but equally crucial. To meaningfully engage with society and its stakeholders, academics must balance their zealous ¾ and sometimes jealous ¾ defence of intellectual freedom with an equal commitment to the needs of socio-economic development as well! It is, therefore, most heartening that this indeed is the direction in which Jamia is moving.
Indeed, the fact that you have established six research centres in as many months, including a Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, illustrates your commitment to the society and the cause of knowledge. With the establishment of a Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia will not only fill in a long-standing vacuum in our academia, it will also expand the range of activities in international relations. Your new Centre will add value to the existing departments, such as the Centre of Third World Study and the Centre for Study of Comparative Religions and Civilizations, with which synergies are self-evident.
I would like to focus some attention on West Asia today, in context of the inauguration of this important Centre. I think it would be safe to say that our domestic pre-occupations in the past have, to an extent, detracted from our traditional focus on the important West Asian region. This happened at a time which, unfortunately, was one of the most complex periods in that region’s history. I hope your Centre will play a major role in sharpening the focus of both Government and academia on this vital area in our proximate neighbourhood.
From the standpoint of global geopolitics, West Asia is currently at the confluence of some of the most crucial trends of our times. Some of the world’s most complex problems are precariously balanced at this juncture. These include Iraq, the long-standing tragedy of the Palestinian people, which was so eloquently referred to by the Vice Chancellor in his inaugural remarks and the emergence of threats to established states from radical religious movements, terrorism and other non-State factors. These are some of the harsh realities one has to contend with.
To add to this, perhaps for the first time in recent history, West Asia has risen from being only an important area of global concern to perhaps the most crucial region. For instance, it is clear that West Asia will be the key foreign policy issue not only for the neighbouring regions, but in terms of its global impact. Ongoing processes in West Asia will have a crucial impact on the global strategic environment. Strategic thinkers the world over will weigh the possible impact of the large and growing extra-regional military presence in West Asia, or the possibility of radical religious groups seeking to create and fill in a political vacuum in this region. Needless to say, the impact of any negative developments on India will transcend the obvious political and security repercussions; it will also greatly affect our economy, with our energy security strategy being the first to come under threat. Therefore, for us to understand and deal with the impact of these significant issues of today, we must not only better understand West Asia itself, but also our linkages with this economically, socially and culturally rich and diverse region.
I do not need to underline either the importance, or the history of our civilisational links with West Asia. Suffice to say that contact with the region has not only left an indelible imprint on our history, on our culture and on our civilization, it has also played a very important--and in many ways a defining--role in making us who we are. In fact, in studying the region, we can learn much about our own nation.
In the modern world, the nations of West Asia are linked with India not only through traditionally close and centuries old civilisational and cultural ties, but also through the presence of several million of our non-resident brethren, who form today an organic link between India and the West Asian countries. Moving beyond these facts, our economic interests are also very significant. We are already exploring several interesting options to expand our energy security options, both in terms of projects and in terms of suppliers. Besides energy imports, there is also ample potential for India to evolve broader long-term economic relations with this region. This could include expanding our contacts with the Gulf Cooperation Council and other regional bodies into an enduring institutional relationship. We could also examine a more proactive strategy of seeking investments from West Asia, given India’s emergence as an exciting and safe destination for Foreign Direct Investment. These are possibilities for the Centre for West Asian studies to investigate.
West Asia, to use a cliché, is at the crossroads today. The way in which events evolve will have a significant impact on our nation. To take but two of the most obvious examples, I would like to mention Iraq and the issue of Palestine. The world awaits the outcome of tomorrow’s elections in Iraq, with anxiety and hope. Although this is the first part of what promises to be a complex process in securing the future of Iraq, the world cannot but be deeply concerned about the escalating levels of violence, and the increasing human cost thereof. We cannot but recall the extent of sufferings of the Iraqi people over the past decade, in particular following the imposition of sanctions, and under the present disturbed situation. As a nation that has always stood by the people of Iraq, we sincerely hope that the elections are held in an environment of peace, with the full and genuine participation of all Iraqis in the democratic process. India remains committed to the prosperity and well-being of the people of Iraq. We will do all we can, as Iraq stabilizes, to help with the return of normalcy and in the task of reconstruction that lies ahead.
On the other hand, we are at what we hope will be a long awaited positive juncture in the peace process between Palestine and Israel. India has remained steadfastly committed to the cause of the Palestinian people. Our position in support of a viable and independent State of Palestine, living in peace and prosperity within secure boundaries in peaceful co-existence with Israel, remains unshaken. Even as they cope with the grievous loss of President Arafat, the Palestinian people have again demonstrated their commitment to democracy. We watch with hope as high-level contacts resume between the Governments of President Mahmoud Abbas, and other countries of the region. For us, a new dawn in this old conflict would not only bring us the greatest satisfaction, it will also have repercussions on our own political and economic security.
I do believe that there is one other important element for us to consider in our engagement with West Asia. This is in the realm of ideas. It has become fashionable in the present day to refer to developments in West Asia in particular, and the world in general, in narrowly defined ideological terms. Most famously, this is described as a “clash of civilizations”. There are also those who speak of the conflict between political Islam and democracy in West Asia. I would beg to differ. I believe India’s continued success as a pluralistic democracy is an example of more harmonious “Third Way”. We sometimes need to remind ourselves that despite many shortcomings, our nation has, under great adversity, remained an example of functioning diversity, characterized by the historic and civilizational tradition of tolerance. This tradition and the richness of our diversity have benefited from revitalizing contact with countries of West Asia. Therefore, if there is truly one message that we have for the world, it is that neither richness nor poverty; religion or culture, or indeed tradition and history preclude a people from aspiring to create an open and democratic society, based on their own inherent genius. Our experience as multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic democracies is a living rejection of the theory of a clash of civilizations and proof of what I often call the “enduring confluence of civilizations”.
In conclusion, our focus both at home and abroad has to be based on the pursuit of excellence and the quest for knowledge. We know a great deal in our country about what happens in the advanced countries of the West but our knowledge about our neighbourhood is far from adequate. Very often we derive our knowledge from secondary sources - the world of scholars in the West. This must change. How much we succeed in improving our understanding of the world will determine the extent to which we succeed in anticipating or responding to events around us in this very vital region. Therefore, while the inauguration of the Centre for West Asian Studies is indeed a praiseworthy development, we must expand our horizon to include other areas of importance in our neighbourhood and beyond. I sincerely hope Jamia Millia Islamia will remain at the forefront of promoting research and study of both - West Asia and the world at large, aimed at improving our understanding of these regions and in helping the region manage change in a contentious world. I wish you every success in this noble endeavour.”
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HK/RK/DDS
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