Dr. Stephen P. Cohen, the renowned scholar on South Asian Politics from Brookings Institutions, Washinghton DC, visited the Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad (UoH) to interact with Students on Monday January 6, 2014.
The interaction meeting organized exclusively for students was on a specific theme- ‘Middle East and South Asian Peace processes: Comparisons and Lessons.’ Dr. Cohen who has completed fifty years of South Asia-centric scholarship, in his opening remark opined that there should be more constructive engagement between India and Pakistan to resolve the conflict between two nations. If India comes forward with more tangible cooperation with Pakistan in different fields, the anti-Indian attitude will further reduce and thereby set the stage for credible peace processes. In addition, such an engagement can also lead to Pakistan depending less on China, a strategic advantage for India. Prof Cohen fielded a variety of questions from students on Middle Eastern Peace processes, Indo-Pak Conflict, increasing role of India’s soft powers and so on.
Dr. Cohen is a prominent expert on Pakistan, India, and South Asian security. He is a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution and an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has authored, co-authored or edited about 12 books, has been named as one of America’s 500 most influential people in foreign affairs, and is a fixture on radio and television talk shows.