Events
- Seminar Series
- Academic Meetings
- Policy Dialogues
- Public Engagements
Policy Dialogues
Insights from USAID’s Last Mission Director for India
As India transitions from aid recipient to strategic partner and the U.S. reimagines foreign assistance following the dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), this talk discussed the lessons that emerge from the ground. Steve Olive, former mission director for USAID India and Bhutan, shared what was happening in India during his final year at USAID, how Indian partners responded to the evolving relationship, and what USAID's dismantling means for U.S. strategic partners like India.
Trading Through Turbulence: Tracking the Effects of U.S. Tariffs on Indian Imports
The center held a virtual panel discussion on U.S. tariff policy on Indian imports. This conversation brought together voices from academia and industry to unpack the concrete impacts that recent U.S. tariff measures have had on Indian-origin goods and explored both short-term mitigation tactics and long-term strategic responses. To provide an academic perspective, Marc Muendler, chair of the Economics Department at UC San Diego, assessed the macroeconomic impacts of the tariffs, their effects on global trade flows and the broader trajectory of the U.S.–India relationship. Gaurav Khanna, associate professor of economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, helped unpack how supply chains adapt and change in the presence of shocks. And for a business perspective, Anant Ahuja, the director of ESG and sustainability at Shahi Exports — India’s largest garment exporter and one of the world’s top garment suppliers — will offer practical insights and share how leading manufacturers are reacting. The talk was moderated by professor and center director Achyuta Adhvaryu.
Shifting Triangles: U.S., India and China in a Changing World
As global dynamics rapidly evolve, the complex relationships between the U.S., India and China are being reshaped in significant ways. This event brought together distinguished experts to examine the current trilateral dynamics and to explore how shifting alliances, trade policies and investment flows are redefining opportunities and challenges for all three countries. Experts participating included: Dhruva Jaishankar Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation America (ORF America), a public policy think tank in Washington D.C.; Tanvi Madan Senior Fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Evan S. Medeiros the Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies and the Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; and Susan Shirk research professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and founding director of its 21st Century China Center. The panel was moderated by professors Achyuta Adhvaryu and Victor Shih from the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy.
Tariffs and Trust: U.S.-India at the Brink
Leading voices in trade unpacked what’s at stake for both the U.S. and India. Panelists explored U.S. and Indian interests, incentives, and the likely responses in the coming weeks. Dean Caroline Freund and Kyle Handley examined the potential impacts of the new tariffs on the private sector in both countries, on global trade patterns and on the broader U.S.-India relationship. From the business perspective, Atul Keshap, former U.S. ambassador and president of the U.S.-India Business Council, along with Arun Kumar, managing partner at Celesta Capital, shared insights into how companies are reacting. Both drew on their diplomatic experiences in the U.S. government to offer their unique perspectives on the historical context and insights for navigating this critical moment in U.S.-India trade. Achyuta Adhvaryu served as moderator.
India-China Renewable Energy Trade: Setting a Research and Policy Agenda
GPS professors Teevrat Garg and Michael Davidson presented key findings from their 2025 white paper, “The India-China Clean Energy Trade."" Prominent researchers and policy stakeholders joined the conversation to explore the state of clean energy trade among the world’s two largest emerging economies. Panelists included Shresth Garg, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania; Rishabh Jain, Senior Programme Lead at Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi; Dr. Ilaria Mazzocco, deputy director and senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC; and Peter Wooders, Senior Sustainable Energy Expert and co-founder of the Geneva Platform for Resilient Value Chains. The discussion was moderated by GPS Dean Caroline Freund.
Critical Issues in the U.S. H-1B Visa Program
The H-1B Visa Program is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa category that allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in "specialty occupations" and current research shows that H-1B workers complement U.S. workers and expand job opportunities for all. In this panel, discussion centered on how foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and math fields – commonly referred to as STEM – and how with a low statutory limit of visa numbers available, demand for H-1B visa numbers has outstripped the supply in recent years.
U.S.-India Relations: An Ambassadorial Roundtable
UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and School of Global Policy and Strategy Dean Caroline Freund invited you to join Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, along with former Ambassadors Nirupama Rao, Tim Roemer and Richard Verma on Tuesday, Nov. 9 for a webinar discussion of the current U.S.-India relationship. This special engagement opportunity highlighted the important relationship between India and the U.S., and how it will be a significant driver of the prosperity, security, health and well-being of both countries and the world.
India relations is a rapidly changing global strategic and economic landscape. This event was hosted as part of efforts supporting the formation of the 21st Century India Center at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, which will serve as a world-class hub for the study of modern India and U.S. It will spark innovative research, support the creation and transfer of knowledge, and convene timely policy conversations.
- Watch video of U.S.-India Relations: An Ambassadorial Roundtable
- Read GPS News coverage of U.S.-India Relations: An Ambassadorial Roundtable
Speakers:
- Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ambassador of India to the United States
- Nirupama Rao, Former Ambassador of India to the United States and Former Foreign Secretary of India
- Tim Roemer, Former U.S. Member of Congress, 9/11 Commissioner and United States Ambassador to India
- Richard Verma, Former United States Ambassador to India
- Karthik Muralidharan (Moderator), Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics, UC San Diego
Policymaker Engagements
Assistant Secretary of State Visit: S. Paul Kapur
The 21st Century India Center hosted S. Paul Kapur, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, for a closed-door roundtable discussion with its team, faculty, School of Global Policy and Strategy board members, and local business leaders. During the roundtable, he reflected on the progress in U.S.-India relations, underscored the importance of security engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and discussed strategies to increase the number of U.S. students studying in India.
Assistant Secretary of State Visit: Don Lu
The center hosted Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu for a closed-door roundtable. Attendees, including business leaders, policymakers and faculty members, engaged in a candid discussion with Lu, focusing on critical topics related to the U.S.-India bilateral relationship, including trade relations and climate change cooperation.
Global Leadership Fellow Talks
How India is Reimagining Government Through Digital Innovation: Manoj and Arti Ahuja
This event featured public lectures by Global Leadership Fellows Arti and Manoj Ahuja. Manoj Ahuja discussed how Digital Public Infrastructure is transforming agriculture through AgriStack and education through platforms like the Academic Bank of Credits and DIKSHA. While, Arti Ahuja examined how Digital Public Infrastructure is reshaping health care through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and supporting informal sector workers through the e-Shram database, linking citizens to public entitlements, skill-building and employment opportunities.
The Lion Uncaged: The Story of India's Institutional and Economic Rebirth
Global Leadership Fellow Atanu Chakraborty discussed how India stands at a precipice in the coming era under a new Trump administration. India is poised to soon become the world’s third largest economy and perhaps the most important democratic trade partner to the United States, but it faces substantial challenges in realizing its ambitions to be the world’s manufacturing powerhouse. How can India leverage innovation, infrastructure and strategic partnerships to harness the transformative opportunities that lie before it? In this insightful conversation, Chakraborty explored these issues and also situated them in the rich economic and institutional history of India after independence.
Upcoming Events
Be on the lookout for events taking place in the current academic school year!