NatStrat is an independent, not-for-profit centre for research on strategic and security issues, with a focus on Geopolitics, National Security, Technology and Economy.
Our vision is to think ahead of others in a fast changing world in which India's rise will ride the wave of geopolitical upheaval, new security challenges and technological disruption. We seek to be a niche institution that bridges the gap between the worlds of research and policy making and works to decode India's strategic calculations. We aim to do this with objectivity and rigour and without fear or favour. We will maintain an authentic Indian perspective to understanding the world, and making India's voice heard and count where it matters.
NatStrat seeks to reach out to decision-makers, policymakers, practitioners and the strategic community within and outside India. It engages with international counterparts and with institutions and scholars across India.
NatStrat will produce a variety of material, including research papers, commentaries, monographs and policy briefs. Its contributors are authoritative and experienced professionals of international repute and acclaim. It also promotes new and fresh perspectives by encouraging young thinkers to write and work for it. As part of its activities, NatStrat hosts seminars, round table discussions, lectures, podcasts and interviews.
We explore the fundamental issues of our times that will shape India's future – its comprehensive national power, evolving international balance of power, interlinkages between geography, politics, security, economics and technology and the meaning of sovereignty and territorial integrity in a digitalised world. We will study India's role on the global stage as a civilisational state and examine India's grand strategy.
We examine the attributes of major powers and civilisations, what makes countries great powers, what drives their actions and what this means for India. Major powers include the United States, China, Russia, Europe, and Japan. Civilisational states include Iran and Türkiye.
As a peninsular country, India has both a continental and maritime neighbourhood. We study India's immediate and extended neighbourhoods from Morocco to Indonesia, Central Asia and the Indian Ocean Region. We look at regional processes, fragile states and conflicts and the role of external powers.
We study threats faced by large pluralistic societies, particularly democracies, from terrorism, radicalisation, extremism, illegal migration, narcotics, economic imbalances, socio-religious tensions, and poor governance, and what this means for India as a civilisational state.
We look at the challenges facing the Indian Armed Forces, India's military strategy and doctrine, the security environment, the future of warfare, defence modernisation and indigenisation.
New threats to a nation's security emanate from information warfare and influence operations, new weapons, dual-use technologies, and new domains of contestation such as information, cyber, maritime, space and artificial intelligence. We study the implications of this for the security of states.
Critical and emerging technologies are the new determinant of national power. India is investing heavily in them. We examine the challenges ahead and put the spotlight on strategic materials, rare earths and competition for mineral and natural resources. We study the interplay between technology self-sufficiency, interdependence and dual-use R&D from a security point of view.
The weaponisation of economic, trade, investment and financial flows, disruption of supply chains, reshoring, off-shoring, and on-shoring of manufacturing, and securitisation of economic policies are challenging existing norms of state behaviour. We look at how these profound shifts are impacting the Global South, the meanings of India's doctrine of self-reliance (Aatmanirbharta) and the challenges in developing India's human capital.
