ISLAMABAD: The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) is set to hold its annual flagship event, “Islamabad Conclave”, next week. The thematic focus of this year’s event would be on “Pakistan in a Changing World.”
The Islamabad Conclave embodies a 1.5-track initiative designed to converge the highest tiers of Pakistani and foreign leadership, policymakers, and academia onto a singular platform. The event serves as a forum to evaluate the intricate security, political, and economic issues as well as traditional and non-traditional threats affecting Pakistan and the entire region, as well as to suggest responses and innovative solutions.
The Conclave’s third iteration will take place from December 6 to 7, 2023. Comprising a sequence of high-level interactions in the Plenary and five Working Sessions, the event focuses on five distinct sub-themes.
The first working session, titled “Evolving Geopolitical Dynamics, Emerging Technologies, and Shifts in Strategic Thought,” is being arranged by the Arms Control and Disarmament Centre at ISSI. It will delve into the transformative changes at the global level, marked by military modernization, major power rivalries, and the surge in emerging technologies, accompanied by a decline in arms control and disarmament norms.
The second working session, titled as “Changing Regional Landscape: From Afghanistan to the Middle East,” is being arranged by the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East, and Africa at ISSI. It will focus on the evolving relationships between Pakistan and key neighboring nations, particularly Afghanistan and in the Middle East. It aims to analyze shifting non-traditional security dynamics, challenges, and the necessity to fortify economic and regional connectivity for sustainable growth.
“Navigating Complex Geopolitics: Accentuating Pivot to Geo-economics” forms the crux of the 3rd session, which will bring insightful deliberations on the transformative shift in international relations. It is being arranged by the China-Pakistan Study Centre at ISSI. This session aims to gather diverse perspectives, fueling dynamic discourse on the evolving international and regional landscape and the necessity for Pakistan to manage the complex geopolitics and simultaneously accentuate its pivot to geo-economics.
The 4th session, “Comprehensive Security in a World in Flux,” would be a platform for robust exchanges on the economic and human dimensions of national security. The Centre is arranging this session for Strategic Perspectives at ISSI. While examining distinct challenges and opportunities for Pakistan, the discussion contributes to shaping a forward-thinking and flexible security policy important for addressing non-traditional security challenges specific to Pakistan’s context.
Pakistan’s Foreign Policy in Emerging World Order
The final working session, “Pakistan’s Foreign Policy in Emerging World Order,” is being arranged by the India Study Centre at ISSI. It will explore Pakistan’s relationships with major powers, prospects for peace and development in the region of South Asia, the efficacy of multilateralism and adaptation to evolving ‘multilateralism,’ as well as Islamabad’s interface with the developing world.
