Jagannath Panda participated in the 5th Strategic Mediterranean Dialogue, organized by the FMES Institute

October 9, 2026: Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA), participated as a panel speaker in the 5th Strategic Mediterranean Dialogue, held on October 7–8, 2026, at the Palais Neptune in Toulon, France. Organized by the FMES Institute, the conference brought together leading policymakers, defense officials, and strategic experts to discuss emerging geopolitical and security challenges.

Dr. Panda spoke at a panel titled “The Reconfiguration of Chinese and American Spheres of Influence in the Indo-Pacific.” The session featured Bill Hayton (Chatham House), Valérie Niquet (Foundation for Strategic Research), Soon-Ok Shin (European University Institute), and Veerle Nouwens (IISS-Asia). The event details can be seen here.

Dr. Panda highlighted India’s evolving strategic positioning amid intensifying US-China rivalry, the implications of great-power competition for South Asia, and the growing importance of India-Europe cooperation in shaping the Indo-Pacific security architecture. The discussion underscored how regional and middle powers are increasingly shaping strategic alignments, challenging conventional interpretations of the Indo-Pacific as merely an arena of US–China competition.