Strategic Foresight Group

The Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) is a think tank launched in 2002 by the Mumbai, India-based International Centre for Peace Initiatives(ICPI). ICPI describes itself as "South Asia’s longest sustaining conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy institution". [1]

SFG works at envisioning probable futures in 5 to 20 year timeframes, and work resolving the conflicts they see arising in these futures, publishing the results of these studies as a for pay product of the think tank. The SFG strives to conceptualise new innovations towards a more peaceful future. Originally, their reports were focused on India and Pakistan, both their economies and history of conflict, and where this was likely to lead. Later their reports branced out to cover Southwest Asia, Central Asia, then to even global terrorism, and the effects of America’s "War on Terrorism", which some have vocally claimed is not a war upon terror, but the imposition of America's will corecively through war. Often the reports are co-authored with renown Pakistani scholars, which has in the past been a highly unusual partership, and considered potentially dangerous enough for some of the Pakistani researchers to remain anonymous.

The Strategic Foresight Group has built a credible body of policy studies as a foundation for themselves, and are well regarded as International Policy Experts.

SFG Executives and researchers

Executives

• Sundeep Waslekar - President, SFG; Founder, ICPI
• Ilmas Futehally - Vice President, SFG; Executive Director, ICPI
  • Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington D.C.
  • Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, New York
  • Ploughshares Fund, San Francisco
• Shrikant Menjoge - Senior Advisor and Co-Founder, SFG and ICPI
• Semu Bhatt - Special Assistant to President and Research Analyst
• Leena Pillai - Coordinator of Research and Monitoring Unit

Research Analysts

• Kumud Pallavi Mutalik
• Urmila Venugopalan
• Devika Mistry
• Isabel Bruto da Costa

Linguists

• Zarin Hussain
• Humayunfer Hussain
• Prakash Chander

Combining Diversity

The SFG has shown itself to be willing participate internationally in events sponsored by other think tanks, and organised their own Roundtable event, held for the first time in New Delhi June 19-20, 2004, titled Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror.

Past Participation

The SFG has previously taken part in events sponsored by other organisations, incouding roundtable discussions organised by:

• World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos
• Euroasian Strategic Research Center, Ankara
• Foreign Affairs Canada, Ottawa
• Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Stockholm
• Members of Oman Majlis, Muscat.

Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror

The first International Round Table on Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror {[2]} was held 19-20 June 2004 and include a diverse group of individuals[3]. At its conclusion the roudtable presented The Delhi Declaration on Sustainable Global Security, which posited:

• That terrorism is a significant threat to human security but it is not a new phenomenon.
• That the world has faced the problem of terrorism for several centuries, but it has recently attracted global attention because of the attacks that took place on September 11, 2001, revealing the international dimensions of terror.
• That the problem of terror, particularly since 9/11, has created a deficit of trust between the West and other cultures, particularly the Islamic societies.
• That identification of terrorism with any one religion is misleading and inappropriate.
• That terrorism must be seen as a global security issue.

and stated that any successful implementation of a Global Security Framework had to include minimally five principles:

1. Principle of humane conduct, whereby all human societies are equally respected.
2. Principle of dialogue, whereby and wherever possible, multi-stake holder dialogue is explored between parties to conflicts.
3. Principle of just means, whereby the right to use unjust means such as terror and violence against innocent civilians by anyone is totally rejected.
4. Principle of universal values, but regional and local specificities in constructing peace and deconstructing terror.
5. Principle of prevention of violence and conflicts.

Publications

• 2002 - The Future of Pakistan
• 2002 - Rethinking India's Future
• 2003 - Shifting Sands: Instability in Undefined Asia
• 2004 - Cost of Conflict Between India and Pakistan
• ???? - Pakistan's Provinces
• 2005 - The Final Settlement

Contact

Web: http://www.strategicforesight.com/ website