The annual USI international Security Seminar was held on 07-08 November 2019 at the United Service Institution of India (USI), New Delhi. The theme for this year’s seminar was “Transnational Terrorism: Evolving Threats and Responses.” The objective of the seminar was to identify emerging developments in transnational terrorism, to generate cross fertilisation and synthesization of perspective on transnational terrorism, articulate an inclusive and hybrid approach to combat transnational terrorism and provide policy inputs to the government agencies and strategic community dealing with terrorism. The seminar brought together varying perspectives on strategic and security challenges and prospects for collaboration in combatting transnational terrorism. Delegates from eleven countries India, Syria, USA, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Taiwan and Vietnam participated in the Seminar.
The Welcome Address was delivered by Lt Gen PK Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd), Director USI. Special address was delivered by Ambassador Kanwal Sibal, IFS (Retd). It was followed by book launch of “India- Nigeria Experience in Combatting Terrorism,” jointly published by the USI, India and the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Nigeria.
The two day seminar was divided into four sessions with discussion revolving around contemporary issues on terrorism. On day one, there were two sessions. In the first session on “Trans-National Terrorism in Asia and Beyond” the participants discussed issues like Islamic State, Islamophobia in the Western World, Terrorism in North Africa, Evolving Challenges of Radicalisation in South Asia, and Emerging Security Challenges in South East Asia. In the second session on “Trans-National Terrorism in India’s Strategic Neighbourhood” issues discussed by the panellists were Evolving Security Scenario in Afghanistan, Threat of Islamic State of Khorasan in Central Asia, Pakistan and Cross Border Terrorism, and Evolving Challenges and Radicalization in IOR Littoral Countries.
On day two, in the third session on “Role of Technology & International Security Mechanisms in Countering Trans-National Terrorism,” the panellists highlighted the threat and role of modern technology in proliferating and combatting terrorism. Issues discussed were, the Role of Niche Technologies in Combating Terrorism, Threat of Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Terrorism, and Collaborative Security Mechanism to Deal with Transnational Terrorism.
After the three sessions, there was a panel discussion on major takeaways. The issues discussed during the discussion were Challenge to the Region from Transnational Terrorism, Technology as an Enabler to deal with Transnational Terrorism and International Cooperation against Terror Funding were highlighted during the panel discussion on the major takeaways in the fourth session.
More than 300 participants attended the seminar. This included diplomatic staff, serving and retired military officers, retired foreign service officials, and members of academia and think tanks. Each session was followed by a Q&A session where audience and the participants engaged in constructive deliberations on multiple issues of terrorism.
Concluding the seminar with a vote of thanks, Maj Gen BK Sharma, AVSM, SM & Bar (Retd), Deputy Director (Research), USI, highlighted the key takeaways from the seminars on the emerging trends in transnational terrorism and the challenges of countering it.
