Special lecture on topic “West Asia in Turmoil: Quest for Peace amidst Protracted Conflict” 

Chandigarh, February 20, 2025: Department of Defence and National Security Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh today organised a special lecture on the topic “West Asia in Turmoil: Quest for Peace amidst Protracted Conflict” by  Prof. Karori Singh, Emeritus Professor of South Asian Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. He is a prolific writer on international and strategic affairs of India. 

The special lecture was organised under the guidance of Dr. Jaskaran Singh Waraich, Chairperson, Department of Defence and National Security. He also introduced the theme of the special lecture and its relevance to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East to the audience.

Prof. Singh stated that this region lay at the confluence of Africa, Asia and Europe. This region had a complex and difficult colonial and racial history. Rise of the modern Israel state led to protracted and brutal wars in the region. Moreover, it is also a place, where divergent interests of regional and extra regional countries are clashing. He was of the view that the Israel and Palestine authorities are not ready for the two state solutions, thus a peaceful resolution of the conflict seems difficult. Israel accepted the ceasefire only in Gaza but they are militarily active in Lebanon, West Bank. This means that Israel is not sincere for the two state solution, he added.

Prof. Singh said that there are definite efforts from the US and the Gulf countries to resolve the issue. The US, China, Russia and India should propose solutions to this issue for world peace. He explained that the US incumbent President Donald Trump took maximalist positions then set for the realist solution on this issue. He was hopeful that Trump would use coercive diplomacy in order to attain a unique solution for the peace in the region. Development is required to attain peace in this region. He stressed that India has diverse interests of energy, trade and its large diaspora in the Middle East region. India will be the biggest benefactor of the peace in the region. 

Dr. Mandeep Singh proposed the vote of thanks and asked students to adopt a comprehensive view of the ongoing conflicts in the region. The seminar was attended by the faculty, research scholars, students and student officers of the Department.