New Delhi, : A two-week Capacity Building Programme on "Geopolitics in the 21st Century: Global Trends, Regional Dynamics, and Implications for India," sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), was inaugurated today at the MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia. The programme is being organised jointly by Prof. Mujib Alam (Course Director, MMAJ-AIS) and Prof. Sujata Ashwarya (Co-Course Director, Centre for West Asian Studies, JMI).
The programme was inaugurated by Prof. Zubair Meenai, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, JMI, who served as the Chief Guest. Ambassador (Retd.) Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, delivered the Inaugural Lecture as the Guest of Honour. Prof. Ajay Darshan Behera, Director, MMAJ Academy of International Studies, chaired the session.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Zubair Meenai highlighted the importance of ICSSR's investment in capacity building for early-career academics and emphasised the interdisciplinary relevance of geopolitics for social science scholarship. Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, drawing on his distinguished diplomatic career spanning over three decades, offered insights into the evolving contours of global geopolitics and India's role in the changing world order.
The programme, running from 4 to 16 May 2026, brings together thirty early-career faculty members from universities, colleges, and research institutes across India. Over twelve working days, participants will attend thirty-six sessions covering a wide range of themes including maritime geopolitics, geoeconomics, energy politics, counter-terrorism, nuclear geopolitics, cultural diplomacy, the geopolitics of West Asia, Africa, Europe, Eurasia, and the Americas, as well as India's strategic positioning in the contemporary global order.
In line with ICSSR guidelines, the programme also features dedicated sessions on research methodology, the use of quantitative data in social science research, academic writing, library and e-library resources, Indian Knowledge Systems, and decolonial frameworks in social science research.
The programme features over twenty-five distinguished resource persons from leading institutions including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aligarh Muslim University, Jadavpur University, the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Banaras Hindu University, Doon University, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, South Asian University, the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, the Vivekananda International Foundation, O.P. Jindal Global University and Jamia Millia Islamia.
The Valedictory Address on 16 May will be delivered by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation and former Deputy National Security Advisor of India.
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