This week, I had the chance to moderate a fascinating discussion about India’s role in the world. The focal point of the discussion was a new paper by my colleague, Ashley J. Tellis, on whether India can become–in the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi–a “leading power.”

Here’s a summary of Ashley’s paper:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for India to become a leading power represents a change in how the country’s top political leadership conceives of its role in international politics. In Modi’s vision, a leading power is essentially a great power. However, India will only acquire this status when its economic foundations, its state institutions, and its military capabilities are truly robust. It will take concerted effort to reach this pinnacle.

The debate featured Ashley, Arvind Subramanian (the chief economic adviser to the Government of India) and Devesh Kapur (a frequent collaborator and the director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania).

You can watch full video of the event here.