Our theme for this conference is ‘Democracy in Decline’

• We see the words ‘democracy’ and ‘decline’ being employed to charge discourse in varied socio-political, economic, and geographical contexts and understand that there is something here that warrants an exploration at the level of the international system(s) as a whole. By juxtaposing this phrase against the happenings we experience daily around us, we aim to put theories, and understandings to question, and seek answers to fundamental assumptions such as whether democracy can secure peace or not? 
• Moreover, this is a phenomenon that destabilizes interactions within the interstate system at a fundamental level; ergo, what does it mean for contention and cooperation among actors? 
• Given the uncertainty this simple phrase has exacerbated, what does this mean for the role of the interstate system in domestic political discourse and vice versa? 

Some of the sub-themes around which we aim to curate this discussion are as follows; 

1. Violence and Democracy 
2. Authoritarianism and Legalism 
3. Political Mobilization and the Transnationality of Cyberspace
4. Economic liberalism and Political liberalism 
5. Militarization and Marginalization

As young, and curious individuals, invested in the world we inhabit, we are at a juncture where critical engagement with our present needs to be supplemented with a desire to attempt reform and steer towards inclusivity. At the same time, we are also acutely aware of the increasing stake we have in taking collective responsibility, shaping more inclusive discourse, and mobilizing for change. 

Through this space, we aim to create a platform, where students as changemakers, new entrants, and inquisitive yet determined individuals, can find a common ground; a common space to deliberate over the world as it unfolds around us. Moreover, we aim to open a space of research that is available to few, and to approach the discipline with academic rigour to be able to steer our directions of research. 

As students inquisitive about International Relations (IR), we have experienced the potential for its growth at one of the few Indian universities that offer engagement with it at the undergraduate level. 

Encouraged by prominent scholars within the discipline, we aim to open the conversation to include interdisciplinary engagement, constantly branching out beyond the classroom. Ashoka Society for International Affairs (A.S.I.A.) is an attempt to understand IR as it stands today with a vision of what it has to offer in the future.