Why Foreign Policy Matters? By Dr. Shashi Tharoor

19 August 2009: Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr. Shashi Tharoor said that the ultimate purpose of any country’s foreign policy is to promote the security and well-being of its own citizens. We want a world that gives us the conditions of peace and security that will permit us to grow and flourish, safe from foreign de predations but open to external opportunities.

Dr. Tharoor was delivering the first national lecture series programme on ‘Why Foreign Policy Matters?’ at Kennedy Hall Auditorium of the Aligarh Muslim University. He said that our foreign policy debates in Parliament and the media seem obsessed with Pakistan with ophemera, or worse ephemera about Pakistan and urged that our society as a whole and particularly its educated young people, must care enough about India’s place in the world to participate actively in shaping our international posture.

He said that we do have a handful of thinkers on international issues and a twist-full of thinker tanks, but in quantum and quality of expertise and range of output they all have a long way to go before they match the role played by, for example, their equivalents in the United States and suggested that the situation will not improve unless we improve the study of international affairs at our Colleges and Universities.

He said that the Ministry of External Affairs would welcome much more spirited exchanges between MEA officials and academician, the corporate sector and civil society and pleaded that the sustainability and success of our international policy depends on both leadership by the Government of India and the active involvement of young Indian.

Dr. Tharoor called upon the youth to commit yourself to thinking about India and the world – about Indian in the world – and your own role in leading about it, helping to shape it, and on day, I hope, helping to lead it.

In reply to a question raised at the interactive session of the lecture, Dr. Tharoor denied that Indian had departed from Nehru’s foreign policy of defending the Muslim World especially the Arab World.

Addressing the media, former UN Under Secretary General, Dr. Tharoor has joined the voice against film actor Shahrukh Khan’s two-hour detention at a US Airport and said that this also happens to hundreds of innocent Muslim daily who do not have billion people to stand-up for them. It raises real questions about US procedures.

While delivering the presidential remarks, AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor P.K. Abdul Azis has said that the University has decided to create a Center of International Studies and diplomacy from the next academic session. He said a retired senior most diplomat, Mr. Israt Aziz is preparing the blue print of this proposed Center.

He also said that the Ministry of Human Resource Development has sanctioned Civil Service Coaching Academy with a grant of rupees ten crores so that AMU would produce better civil servants to serve the country.

Professor S. Imtiaz Hasnain, Coordinator, AMU National Lecture Series in his welcome address said that Dr. Tharoor is a writer of great fame and global leader of tomorrow. He said Dr. Tharoor has started his career as a diplomat in 1978.

Professor Pervez Mustajab, Controller of Examinations proposed vote of thanks.

Faculty of Management Studies and Research AMU Conducts Two Day Workshop

16 AUGUST 2009 : Faculty of Management Studies and Research ( FMSR ) at AMU conducted a two day workshop. The workshop introduced the Critical Behaviour Skills required to succeed in the corporate world.  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) anlysis skills were performed to get a better picture of the candidates abilities. This workshop was the second of the series that are planned for the students at FMSR. The workshop was conducted by an 88 alumni of FMSR , Mr. A G Danish, Managing Director of Drive Direct and Mr. Udayan Salim Banerjee, who is a professional trainer with more than 7500 hours of training experience.

Mr. A G Danish is based in Jeddah and looks after the Drive's Network interest in Gulf, North Africa and Levant region as the Managing Director of Drive Direct. He is involved in social and development work in the region with special emphasis on all round development of students. An avid reader, he is a writer and professional quiz master besides being a guest faculty with leading management institutes in India where he conducts regular workshops related to behavioural skills as well as his specality of digital marketing and new media developments.

Mr. Udayan Salim Banerjee is a strategic training consultant with over 7500 hours of experience in sales, customer care, soft skills, attitudinal, product and processes base programmes and workshops. An NIS Sparta certified trainer, Udayan cores strength are training operations management and learning solutions delivery. His area of expertise include role identification, competency mapping, identifying competency gaps, analyzing training needs, devising significant solutions, and training delivery, post training evaluation and skills enhancement. Udayan has conducted training across all roles-sales field force, front line supervisor, middle management and senior management in FMCGs, telecommunication companies, IT, multilevel marketing organizations, hotels & other hospitality service providers, exhibition service provider, etc.

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