India’s G20 Presidency, based on the principle of inclusivity, gave special importance to the priorities of the Global South. The Think20 engagement group (T20), the ‘Ideas Bank’ for the G20, played a crucial role in connecting scholars and experts to harness ideas to enrich the G20 agenda and benefit the larger global community. One of the endeavours in this regard was to gather the perspectives of South Asian countries during India’s G20 Presidency, using the collection of speeches and select papers presented during the 14th South Asia Conference organised by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses on 17-18 January 2023. This volume provides various national perspectives on some of the crucial non-traditional issues confronting South Asian countries, including Myanmar, and well-researched ideas to deal with those challenges effectively. It contextualises the role of India as G20 President, and beyond, in addressing some of the pressing regional issues.  

Amb. Sujan Chinoy is the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi since 2019. A career diplomat from 1981-2018, he was Ambassador to Japan and Mexico and the Consul General of India in Shanghai and Sydney. A specialist on China, East Asia and politico-security issues, he anchored confidence-building measures (CBMs) with China on the boundary dispute from 1996-2000. At the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) from 2008-2012, he handled external and internal security policy, including in the extended neighbourhood of the Indo-Pacific. During his public service of over four decades, he has dealt with political, security, defence, technology as well as trade and economic issues. His diverse Foreign Service career included postings at the UN and in Saudi Arabia. He was the Chair of the Think20 engagement group for India`s G20 Presidency and a Member of the high-powered DRDO Review Committee of the Government of India. He is also a Member of the Selection Committee for India’s highest civilian awards (Padma Awards). He contributes to newspapers and journals, besides lecturing on diverse subjects. He is the author of World Upside Down: India Recalibrates its Geopolitics (Harper Collins, July 2023) and Global Tumult: India As A Pole Star (Rupa Publications, July 2024).

Dr. Gulbin Sultana is an Associate Fellow with the South Asia Centre in the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. Her areas of research in the Institute include Sri Lanka and the Maldives. She has written extensively on the politico-economic and foreign policy developments of these two countries. Additionally, Dr. Sultana takes an interest in the study of small island states particularly in the Indian Ocean Region and also issues pertaining to maritime security. Before joining MP-IDSA, she worked with the National Maritime Foundation and the United Service Institution of India in New Delhi.