Publications : All
Topic
US Campus Crises: Are America and a Fragile World Order at Risk of Coming...
The divisions in the US universities beyond the gates of the campus have created the perfect breeding ground for political bottom-feeders.Interview | How To Bridge India’s Great Neighbourhood Divide
Constantino Xavier and Riya Sinha discuss how India can foster economic corridors and bridge the gap with its neighbours.All Powers Great and Small: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better in...
Shivshankar Menon examines the shifting dynamics of global geopolitics, emphasising the historical evolution from empires to modern superstates and the continued relevance of small states.Interview | Questioning Katchatheevu Agreement Could Damage Ties,...
Former envoys to Sri Lanka say the Ministry of External Affairs’s position for the past decade has been in line with previous government thus farWhy India Must Put Africa at the Heart of its Global South Vision
As Africa houses three-fourths of humanity and over 39 per cent of the global GDP, there's a growing call to reform existing structures towards a more inclusive and representative system focused on development.Beyond the Coastline: India’s Land Connectivity Options around the Bay...
This paper argues that India must prioritise the development of multimodal transportation infrastructure beyond coastal areas to bridge the current gap between maritime and land-based initiatives around the Bay of Bengal and spur the creation of sub regional, regional, and inter-regional economic corridors.Podcast | A Fresh Look at India’s Neighborhood First Policy
Constantino Xavier joins Milan Vaishnav to assess the Modi government's approach to managing India's relationship with its neighbors across the Indo-Pacific in this episode of Carnegie's Grand Tamasha podcast.Govt Must Rethink the Role of Defence Attaché
With growing capabilities and interests, India needs to reconsider the current terms of the partnership between the military and our diplomats.Crossroads of Power: Strategic Aspects of India’s Economic Relations...
This study reviews the strategic aspects and related ramifications of existing and potential surface trading routes between India and the three South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries: Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member country Myanmar.Ukraine War, Gaza Conflict and Middle East Strikes: It’s Time Businesses...
Vikram Singh Mehta advises businesses to integrate scenario planning into risk management processes to tackle political risk in an increasingly uncertain global context with upcoming elections in several countries.When an Admiral gets to Helm China’s PLA
The choice of a defence minister from the Chinese navy is also an attempt to avoid further embarrassment for China, domestically as well as externally.External Engagements in January 2024
Laveesh Bhandari gave a lecture at the Indian School of Public Policy on January 31, 2024. He shed light on the dynamic nature of public policy and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives and disciplines to tackle real-world problems effectively. | Jan 31 Rajesh Chadha chaired a panel session on “Strategies and ...India’s Climate Diplomacy: New Priorities and Policy Options
This Policy Brief explores how India has transformed into a positive force on the global stage, achieving domestic climate targets and spearheading innovative approaches in climate diplomacy.Setting Course for the IMEC: Gaza War has Delayed Plans for the Corridor,...
The Israel-Hamas war has naturally compromised any significant movement on fleshing out the gigantic ambition of an economic corridor through one of the world’s most divisive, conflict-ridden regions.2024: Brazil’s G20 Year
Brazil gears up to lead the G20 with a three-point agenda focusing on combating hunger, poverty, and inequality; sustainable development; and global governance reform.Quad-ASEAN Technology Cooperation for Critical Minerals Supply Chains
As a part of CSEP's ongoing work on securing critical minerals for India’s green technology and net-zero transition, this analysis incorporates emerging thoughts on Quad-ASEAN cooperation in creating resilient regional supply chains.Diplomacy in a Changing World
Shivshankar Menon explores the shifting tides of diplomacy. This piece examines the evolving landscape of international relations in a changing world.Podcast | Trade Ties: Exploring South Asia’s Evolving Geopolitical...
Sanjay Kathuria discusses how the geopolitical competition in South Asia is influencing trade relations and policies of the states engaged in the region.External Engagements in December 2023
Rakesh Mohan was panelist for the session on “India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: Where did their growth trajectories diverge?” at the Pathways to Development Conference hosted by CDPR | Dec 18 Constantino Xavier and Riya Sinha presented their paper on “Strengthening India’s Land Linkages Around the Bay of Bengal” at MP-IDSA’s 15th ...To Lead the Global South, India Must Leverage Its Bridging Power
India actively works with the United Nations on South-South development, being one of its largest financial donors.How the Psychology of Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden and MBS is Driving Oil...
The dominant drivers of the crude oil market today are not the fundamentals of demand and supply, but the non-fundamentals, the psychology of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Strategic Reflections: APF Canada Analysis of Canada’s Indo-Pacific...
This report has been launched by Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) with an aim to present varied views from APF Canada-affiliated experts on Indo-Pacific Strategy and encourage an understanding of Canada's evolving role in the region.External Engagements in November 2023
Riya Sinha was panelist at the discussion on “Improving India’s Ease of Trading Across Borders: Opportunities and Challenges in Integrated Check Posts”, at Land Ports Authority of India | Nov 22 Rahul Tongia was invited for the expert discussion for COP28 with the Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, New Delhi ...Podcast | COP28: Spotlight On Indian Climate Diplomacy
In the last one decade, India has cast itself as being part of the climate solution—which in turn has created the space for diplomatic negotiations.Bridging the North and South: Towards Sweden-India Development Cooperation...
Constantino Xavier's essay offers a policy roadmap to enable Sweden and India to implement joint development cooperation initiatives in third countries in the Indian Ocean region and East Africa.Can a Polarised India Deter China?
If the smartest thinkers in the US can worry about its political dysfunction and can call for ‘rebuilding support at home’, Indians should worry too, about how our country’s external aspirations are articulated and achieved.Climate Diplomacy Must Begin at Home
It is now time to invest in a strategic capacity so that India's climate diplomacy is better equipped to transform prevailing climate commitments into action.A Renewed Focus on Emerging Technologies
Fully realising the potential of emerging technologies in the military requires altering existing organisations and approaches.The Virtues of Restraint
Shivshankar Menon writes about why the use of force is rarely a sufficient response to terrorismIndia’s Global Climate Strategy
India’s progress in driving the need for climate mitigation and adaptation has been commendable and swift. A key question is whether results in terms of reduced carbon emissions will arrive.External Engagements in October 2023
Rajesh Chadha was a panelist on a webinar hosted by CEEW and the Ministry of Mines titled “Decoding the G20 Consensus on Critical Minerals for the Energy Transition” | Oct 31 Madhurima Nundy was a discussant at the conference on “Integrating Health and Social Care Services for the Elderly in Asia: A ...China in Focus, Defence Reforms Get Underway
Defence reforms reimagine the relationship between the defence ministry and the military and foster greater inter-services collaboration.Podcast | How India and China Compete in Non-Aligned South Asia and The...
China’s economic, diplomatic, and military activities in South Asia and the Indian Ocean island states have New Delhi concerned about Beijing’s growing influence in its neighborhood. In this episode of Global India, Tanvi Madan discusses with Constantino Xavier about how India is responding.Tracks to Transition: India’s Global Climate Strategy
An increasingly competitive geopolitical context is fragmenting global climate governance and traditional modes of multilateral cooperation. The report maps both what has been done in the past as well as the avenues towards a comprehensive climate strategy built on greater policy coordination and expanded state capacity for India to engage externally.A Trust Redeemed: Celebrating and Reinforcing Achievements
Ramu Damodaran writes about trust between states, governments and people as a means to extend, and not inhibit, the promise and possibilities of national sovereignty.Interview | Shivshankar Menon on India Canada Relations
In an interview with ABC News, Shivshankar Menon discusses India Canada diplomatic relations.Interview | Shivshankar Menon on Israel Palestine conflict
CSEP Distinguished Fellow Shivshankar Menon discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict with Republic World.Podcast | Shivshankar Menon on India, Narendra Modi, China, Australia and...
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks to the leading Indian scholar and diplomat, Shivshankar Menon on Hamas’s attack on Israel, how India manages its relationship with China, and why he is an optimist about the relationship between India and Australia.Pakistan’s Missing Market
Resuming trade with India is a chance to escape spiraling crises, writes Sanjay Kathuria in this article.External Engagements in September 2023
Rajesh Chadha, Ganesh Sivamani and Karthik Bansal presented their work on critical minerals at the 19th Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) Committee-III meeting hosted by the Ministry of Mines. CSEP has also been nominated as one of the permanent invitees to Committee III on Non-Ferrous and Strategic Minerals | Sept 29 Rajesh ...Did Mahatma Gandhi miss Nobel Prize because of an Air Crash?
A diplomat had nearly swung the honour for Gandhi in 1961Canada needs to see India – not just the Diaspora
Dealing with common challenges requires a political compact that addresses how both countries view Canada’s Indian diaspora and mitigating its worst impulses, particularly those fanning separatist embers in India.Podcast | A Big-Picture Look at the India-China Relationship
Shivshankar Menon shares his views on the India-China competition, the potential for cooperation or crisis, and what it means for India’s partners on the inaugural episode of Global India, in this podcast.What India’s G20 Achieved for the Global South
A multipolar world with competing power centres, rising economic fragmentation, and deglobalisation will only compound the pressures on institutions like the G20. With great power tensions at an apogee, resolution might not matter as discussions and resolutions pivot to smaller and smaller “like-minded” groups, writes Karthik Nachiappan.Nepal-India Transit Trade Ties Can Unlock Economic Opportunities,...
Nepal and India have renewed their transit trade agreement, improving Nepal's access to Indian sea ports and inland waterways, boosting supply chain resilience. This also marks potential breakthroughs in cross-border electricity trade and digital payments.External Engagements in August 2023
Rakesh Mohan met the Finance Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman at the North Block, New Delhi on August 25. Madhurima Nundy attended a workshop at the India International Centre for a project titled “Public-Private Mix in Continuity of Care for Older Persons: Study of Select Countries in ...Interview | The outlook for India’s Economy Shines Bright
Riya Sinha talks about India’s connectivity with neighboring countries, liberalization of the economy, and strategies to attract foreign direct investment.BIMSTEC at 25: Fostering Sustainable Regional Cooperation
Bhavyanshi Sinha's interview of Sreeradha Datta offers a comprehensive view of the current and future prospects of BIMSTEC as a regional initiative.External Engagements in July 2023
Constantino Xavier was speaker at the India-Japan Forum hosted at Ananta Aspen Centre | July 28 Constantino Xavier was a panelist at the launch of the CSEP edited report “Connectivity and Cooperation in Bay of Bengal” organised by Verité Research, Colombo, Sri Lanka | July 24 Constantino Xavier discussed CSEP’s Sambandh ...Nepali Migrant Workers in India: A Rite of Passage to Adulthood
While Nepal has experienced significant political and social transformations, the economic conditions and precarity that force Nepali men to migrate in the first place have not changed.A Case for Greater US Focus on Infrastructure Development in South Asia
The United States would benefit from working with India to help address the infrastructure needs of smaller South Asian countries, writes Riya Sinha.External Engagements in June 2023
Riya Sinha was a panelist at ORF Kolkata’s discussion on India and Bangladesh’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific | June 30 Rakesh Mohan was speaker at the discussion organised by Boston University IMF Task Force on Climate Change at IMF, Washington DC | June 21 Laveesh Bhandari was speaker at the webinar on ...Interview | More Than Geopolitics, There’s Now Also an Economic Basis to...
Siddharth Varadarajan spoke to India’s former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US, the deals signed, the politics and economics involved, and China's role in bringing the two nations together.India is Adapting to the Shifting Climate Terrain
India has a unique opportunity to use the G20 presidency to drive climate cooperation as crises abound and the desire for deep climate action is dwindling.An Opportunity and a Challenge in Northeast
In the last few years, India prioritised enhancing railway development in Manipur and Mizoram, inching closer to the border with Myanmar, writes Riya Sinha.Developing a Regional Single Window System in the Indian Ocean Region
India and Australia can support the development of a Single Widow System in fellow Indian Ocean Region states for trade facilitation at the regional level, writes Riya Sinha. This article was also co-published by Observer Research Foundation.External Engagements in May 2023
Shivshankar Menon was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. He was felicitated by Suzuki Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan to India. | May 26 Rakesh Mohan gave the address at the inaugural session of the CII Conference on Consumer Credit & Finance. | May 26 ...India-China Rivalry Not Episodic or Contextual but Structural: Experts
It is not exactly true that India's rivalry with China is spoken of only in hushed tones. The Indian strategic community is quite vocal about this reality, & this rivalry is not limited to South AsiaMore of the same? India’s Strategic Balance
In this episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, Constantino Xavier discusses India’s foreign policy and its relationship with Russia.Reforms Will Determine Whether China Can Return to Rapid Growth
Its economy should adjust its growth model again and financial liberalization could set a ball rolling to accelerate expansion.How China Engages South Asia: Themes, Partners and Tools
Based on eight case studies by analysts and scholars from Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, the report examines China’s growing role in a range of sectors in these four countries, including education, public diplomacy, technology, social media, civil society, party politics, religion, and governance.External Engagements in April 2023
Rahul Tongia discussed the need for an equitable global energy transition with Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment and Greg Muttitt, Energy Economist, IISD on April 19. Rajasekhar Devaguptapu gave a presentation on ‘Electricity Tariff Reforms – Case Study on India’ to a delegation from the Government of ...Interview | Constantino Xavier on Operation Kaveri
WION News speaks to Constantino Xavier on Operation Kaveri and the crisis in Sudan.That Thucydides Trap Again
Does China have to inevitably face confrontation from the US and seek domination over India, asks Jaimini Bhagwati.Podcast | India’s Strategic Shift
Constantino Xavier discusses India’s foreign policy and its relationship with Russia.External Engagements in March 2023
Rakesh Mohan chaired the discussion on Naushad Forbes’ book “The Struggle and the Promise” on March 30 at the India International Centre. Anoop Singh was panelist at the 2nd G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group Meeting, organised by the Government of India in Paris on March 30. Rajesh Chadha was a part ...Podcast | Connectivity and Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal Region
In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, speaks to the editors of the report - Constantino Xavier, and Amitendu Palit about the prospects and challenges in the region.Interview | Geopolitical Differences and Economic Ties
Rajesh Chadha discusses economic growth and geopolitical developments for India and Korea on Arirang News.What India, As President of G-20 and Architect of Credo of Non-violence,...
Is there not a threshold beyond which the severity of human suffering renders meaningless words like “political sovereignty”, “national security” and “territorial integrity”?Canada, India should change Script and Become Real Partners
To fortify their long-term relationship, both countries need to clinch more immediate opportunities while also insulating the relationship from episodic political turbulence.The towering legacy of diplomat Dasgupta
Ramu Damodaran's tribute to the late Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta who served as Indian ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg and China.An Indian View on ASEAN
This is an edited and revised adaptation of remarks by Shivshankar Menon from the E-Launch and Discussion of The State of Southeast Asia: 2023 Survey Report conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, on February 9, 2023.India’s vishwa guru ambitions need to be backed by resources,...
Man power and resources can strengthen India's vishwa guru ambition. It will need those resources for cooperation and competition with other countries.Connectivity and Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal Region
While the Bay of Bengal is located at the fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific, between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it continues to act more as a divider than a link between land and maritime neighbours such as IndiaOut of Alignment
Shivshankar Menon examines what a year of war in Ukraine has revealed.How India Budgets to Become a Leading Power
Constantino Xavier and Riya Sinha comment on the MEA Budget and how India can become a leading power in an increasingly uncertain, competitive and complex international arena.CO23016 | India’s Optimism for a New Regional Order
The global pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have had a dual structural impact that accelerated Asia’s regional transition, which has been slowly evolving amidst rising US-China competition. India sees the ongoing disruption as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to realize its role as a bridging power to shape a new ...Beyond the Imphal and Kohima Campaigns: Japan and Northeast India
In this edition of Sambandh Scholars Speak, Anindita Sinh interviews Mayumi Murayama on her book, Northeast India and Japan: Engagement through Connectivity, co-edited with Sanjoy Hazarika and Preeti Gill.External Engagements in January 2023
Constantino Xavier and Riya Sinha were speakers with LPAI Chairman Aditya Mishra at the panel discussion on regional connectivity organised by the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service. The discussion was a part of the Induction Training Programme for IFS Officer Trainees of the 2022 batch. Divya Srinivasan presented her paper “Commodity ...Podcast | A World Between Orders
Shivshankar Menon discusses what’s at stake in Ukraine, India’s place in this changing world, and what order could emerge from today’s great-power competition.India: Looking to Help Frame a New Global Balance
India has been playing a silent but important role in pushing Brussels...and other European capitals, to recognise that the future global balance of power hinges on what happens in Asia.New Economic Ways between South and Southeast Asia
The Sambandh blog looks at new approaches to strengthening trade and revitalising economic links between South Asia and Southeast Asia.Decoding the Pashtuns in the Afghanistan–Pakistan Region
Riya Sinha interviews Tilak Devasher, Member, National Security Advisory Board of India, and Consultant, Vivekananda International Foundation, on his fourth book, The Pashtuns: A Contested History.The Media in Afghanistan: Local Perceptions of Regional Players
In this edition of Sambandh Scholars Speak, Nitika Nayar interviews Hazrat Bahar, on his book chapter, “Image of China in Afghan Media."How India Handles China will Determine Success of Foreign Policy
The issue of how India handles China is likely to remain India's most complex external challenge.India’s National Priorities are Best Served Domestically
We should scale down expectations and time expended on preparing for the SCO and G20 summits, says Jaimini Bhagwati.Fresh Perspectives on Border Studies: A Regional Account
If South Asia gets connected to Central Asia, three South Asian countries will reap maximum benefits - India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.Putting Women at the Centre of Foreign Policy
More than a moral mission, by nurturing a feminist dimension in its Neighbourhood First policy, India will be able to better achieve its regional interests, says Riya Sinha and Constantino Xavier.Towards control and effectiveness: The Ministry of Defence and...
Anit Mukherjee examines a possibly pernicious effect of a civilian dominated defence ministry and highlights the importance of expertise in enhancing both control and military effectiveness.‘India’s Nepal Policy has not Changed. There Will be Shifts, but...
Former Indian foreign secretary and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon on the changing power dynamics in South Asia, India’s political turmoil, and SAARC.Nepal’s Delicate Foreign Policy Balancing Act
By understanding Kathmandu’s domestic aims and regional balancing, both New Delhi and Washington can play to their strengths and maximize the developmental impact of their projects in Nepal.Drone Strikes: Targeted Killings Raise Troubling Questions
The increasing range and automation of drone strikes are a matter of global concern, says Jaimini Bhagwati.Seventy Five Years of Indian Foreign Policy: Key Successes, and the Gaps...
Indian diplomacy has been bold and innovative but today's challenges require another reworking of statecraft in pursuit of the country's 'unvarying concerns' – safeguarding its sovereignty and overcoming poverty.Nobody Wants the Current World Order
How did all the major powers—even the United States—became revisionists.Synopsis of Indian Thinking about China, 2018-2022
Constantino Xavier and Gil Rozman trace the evolution of Indian thinking about China from 2018-22 and recognize linkages with its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.IPEF versus RCEP
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) has military ramifications, but the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) does not, says Jaimini Bhagwati.Why is Sri Lanka in Crisis, and What Comes Next?
Constantino Xavier looks at how Sri Lanka’s governing choices over many years led to crisis, the difficult reforms ahead, and the implications of the collapse for other developing nations throughout Asia and Africa.A New Cold War May Call for a Return to Nonalignment
Why a growing number of countries want to avoid getting stuck in a great-power tussle—again.Climate Change in Bangladesh: Global Players vs Local Activism
Social and ecological change in Bangladesh today has been profoundly shaped by colonialism and its legacies, so recognition of this helps us to better understand climate change today.The Ukraine Conflict has Raked up Old Dilemmas
Vikram S Mehta writes: Issues related to energy security, climate change mitigation have been brought to the forefront.The Indo-Pacific Economic Bloc Offers India a New Opportunity
We’ll have to re-examine our traditional positions wherever needed to make the most of economic integration under the Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), says Montek Singh Ahluwalia.India Could Drink Sustainably from the Spring-Wells of Development
Jaimini Bhagwati argues how India, as a swing state could seek greater accommodation of its strategic and economic interests with the West in light of the undeclared war with Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) countries.Western Companies Can Help Ukraine by Sending Work
Ukraine’s tech outsourcing sector, one of Europe’s largest, has adapted nimbly to the war.A Renewed Focus on India’s Border Management
Riya Sinha argues that simultaneous developments on both the security and socio-economic fronts will be key in India's renewed approach to land border management.Could S Jaishankar Don the Kissingerian Mantle?
If there were an India-led peacemaking initiative, Jaishankar might be the best qualified to crack the Ukrainian diplomatic impasse, writes Vikram Singh Mehta.The Fantasy of the Free World: Are Democracies Really United Against...
Russia’s war in Ukraine might be a pivotal episode in a global contest between autocracy and democracy. Chastened by Putin’s gross violation of norms, democracies will band together in a muscular reaffirmation of the liberal international order.Has the Government Handled the Ukraine Crisis Well? | Interview
In a 45-minute interview with The Wire, the former national security adviser Shivshankar Menon said the Indian government must play a forceful and active role in finding a solution acceptable to all sides.India can Act today to Shape Tomorrow’s Terms of Connectivity with...
Trade incentives, border infrastructure or any other such unilateral initiatives are simple, low-cost ways for Delhi to reverse the lost time and rising costs of India-Pakistan disconnectivity.Sikkim and the Geostrategic Lessons from Himalayan History
The Indo-Sikkim Treaty of 1950 was a recognition of the fact that Tibet’s occupation by China had compromised India’s strategic interests and Sikkim had become of particular relevance to the future security of India.History and National Security
Shivshankar Menon discusses history in the Indian tradition, the history that is current in India, some common current historical tropes, and why it matters. In the process it seeks to draw some real lessons of India’s history for our national security.Why the Corporate Flight From Russia Is No Precedent for China
Despite the rising tensions with China, it is hard to see how the Ukraine war could set a precedent for a confrontation with a vastly bigger economic power such as China.In Dialogue with Jaimini Bhagwati on “The Geoeconomic Effects of the...
Jaimini Bhagwati, Distinguished Fellow, CSEP, and former Indian Foreign Service officer, talks to Constantino Xavier, Fellow, CSEP about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crises on India's economic interests in the short and medium term.Russia’s Ukraine Invasion; India Impact Of A ‘New Energy World...
In an interview with Strat News Global, Vikram Singh Mehta assesses the impact on India of gas, oil and financial sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine, fuel prices, the repercussions on India and Russia’s energy assets in each other’s countries, and many more.New Narratives from the North-East: Domestic Politics and Regional...
Jahnavi Mukul's interview of Sanjoy Hazarika sheds light on the historical perspective and political developments in the North East India by exploring the overarching question of the NER’s difference with the rest of India.How to handle impact of Ukrainian crisis on India’s energy sector
To deal with energy volatility, India must build reserves, revive conversations on pipeline with Iran, TurkmenistanIn Dialogue with Shivshankar Menon on the Russia-Ukraine War
In the first episode of In Dialogue, Shivshankar Menon, Distinguished Fellow, CSEP, and former NSA, talks to Constantino Xavier, Fellow, CSEP, about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, India’s stand, and the implications in the Indo-pacific region.Don’t Use Chips to Play Poker With Putin
Semiconductor blockades are powerful sanctions—but may not prove effective with Russia.India’s China Conundrum: Learning from the Past?
Tibet today has ceased to be a factor in India-China relations and India can no longer leverage its past relationship with Tibet for resolution of the present problem with China .Ladakh’s Transformation from a Connecting Bridge to a Borderland
The Sambandh blog attempts to understand the complex history of Ladakh and its transformation from being a bridge between the plains of India and Central Asia, to becoming a deeply contested and heavily guarded territory between China and India.Jungle Passports: Navigating the India-Bangladesh Borderlands
The Sambandh blog explores the mobility and the equilibrium surrounding the lives of the Muslim and Garo Christian communities in the volatile India - Banladesh border zones.The ‘Whys’ Behind China’s Breathing-fire-24/7 Foreign Policy
The pattern of China’s internal politics and development has given a particular cast or shape to China’s external behaviour in the last decade.From Insurgent Group to Interim Government: Taliban’s Legitimacy and...
India is surrounded by neighbours increasingly confronted by conflict and civil war. Understanding how rebel groups build legitimacy and come to govern large civilian populations is critical for New Delhi to craft suitable and innovative policy responses.Internal Drivers of China’s External Behaviour
Shivshankar Menon suggests crucial domestic factors which have driven China’s path and examines some implications of the role in shaping China’s policy choices.Can India Push China off its Dominant Perch?
"A compass to navigate the geopolitical churn with China." Vikram Singh Mehta reviews "Rising To The China Challenge" by Gautam Bambawale, Vijay Kelkar, Raghunath Mashelkar, Ganesh Natarajan, Ajit Ranade and Ajay Shah.Interpreting India at the Summit for Democracy
For the Indian government, the future of democracy is being played out in Asia and Africa, where states are experimenting with competing governance models amidst China’s growing autocratic influence.‘The Fractured Himalaya: India, China, Tibet 1949-1962’ review: A...
The history of the critical initial years of a political relationship when India and China tried to manage issues such as the boundary question, and failed.From Democracy Summit to Global Democratic Agenda?
This policy brief focuses on one very specific element: the question of how a meaningful participation of Asian, African, and Latin American democracies can best be encouraged and ensured. The paper offers 5 ideas for maximizing their future involvement.Economic Heft and Foreign Policy Posturing
India's foreign policy options are circumscribed by its relatively inadequate economic size and technological capabilities, says Jaimini Bhagwati.In Defence, The Twin Transformations
The country’s political leadership took a leap in reimagining the military. But it must pay attention to structural issues.The Kashmir Back Channel 2004 – 2007: Prospects for India-Pakistan...
India and Pakistan have, in the past, entered a dialogue process in the wake of intensely violent periods. The Kashmir talks that began in 2004 are an example.How India’s Gati Shakti Plan Can Have an Impact Beyond Its Borders
India's Gati Shakti plan can generate positive spillover effects, strengthen India’s economic ties with its neighbours.1971 War Tilted Balance in India’s Favour
Bangladesh today is a development success story as that country overtook India and Pakistan in terms of per capita income and human development indicators.Ethnic Rebellion: Armed Struggle in Myanmar’s Borderlands
Riya Sinha interviews David Brenner on the dynamics of conflict and explores how to engage with EAOs (Ethnic Armed Organisations) in constructive ways in the Myanmar borderland.Power balance has shifted against us: Shivshankar Menon on India-China...
We have to rely on ourselves to deal with China. We have started military reforms but it is too early to say we have been successful, says Shivshankar Menon.Paradiplomacy in Northeast India: Assam Acts East
Hazarika’s Paradigms of Paradiplomacy in the Northeast is pioneering in shedding light on the paradiplomatic efforts made by these North-eastern states, with a particular focus on Assam.A Strategy For India In a World That is Adrift
The country’s path to power will be affected by the geopolitical and economic centres of gravity now shifting to Asia.Cross-Border Terror Not Over-Arching Threat, SAARC Policy Needs Review
India must rethink its attitude to cross-border terrorism which is “not an over-arching threat” and also urgently review its SAARC policy or run the risk of China being admitted as a member in India’s absence, says Shivshankar Menon.Neighbourhood’s First Responder: India’s Approach to Humanitarian...
Saneet Chakradeo maps India’s Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and its many dimensions – bilateral, multilateral, and civil society contributions.The Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka’s Emerging Maritime Identity
The blog explores Sri Lanka’s non-aligned strategy over the years, and the country’s multipronged approach to secure its interests.India and US have certain congruence in maritime security through IPS
"I think India and the US have a certain congruence in maritime security through the Indo pacific in keeping those sea lanes open, safe, free but I don’t think either side has linked that to whether India has a permanent seat in the UN security council or not."Indian tech unicorns are gaining at China’s expense. Is this a blessing...
The last thing India can afford is a bubble that bursts and for capital, talent and technology to take flight and seek refuge elsewhere.Strengthen Land Ports to Boost India-Bangladesh Economic Connectivity
It is pertinent to address several existing challenges at the land ports between India and Bangladesh that hinder seamless connectivity, says Riya Sinha.India’s Failure to Help Afghan Friends is a Strategic Liability
The Afghan crisis reflects the absence of systems and capability to protect India’s local partners in active conflict zones. More than a moral issue, this failure is also a strategic liability.Leveraging India’s Northeast Region for Regional Connectivity
Riya Sinha interviews Sanjay Kathuria and Priya Mathur on the changing scenario of the Northeast Region (NER) of India.India’s New Consulates and Subnational Diplomacy in South Asia
Constantino Xavier and Nitikar Nayar discuss how New Delhi's engagement with diverse subnational groups both within and across its borders will help define the future course of connectivity in South Asia.India is Failing its Afghan Friends
The absence of an asylum and evacuation system to protect partners in conflict zones is extracting costs, writes Constantino Xavier.Border Disputes? Let’s Make Boundaries Irrelevant Without Changing Them
Shivshankar Menon discusses the factors that make our boundaries contested.A Time for Strategic Autonomy, Building Up National Strength
Shivshankar Menon writes about the need to strengthen India's autonomy while working with major powers and our neighbours.Should India Keep Quad Out of the Neighbourhood?
Constantino Xavier discusses policy consequences and the impact of India being perceived as a part of the "non-China" camp.How the US Created China’s Dominance
The US, more than other G7 countries, has called out the bristling hubris of a totalitarian China, writes Jaimini Bhagwati.Fault Lines: Reflections on South Asian Frontiers
Is the experience of borders and boundaries in South Asia different from other regions of the world?Still Non-Aligned? Sri Lankan Politics and Foreign Policy
How Sri Lanka's internal politics and socio-economic changes under the Rajapaksas-led government inform Colombo's foreign policyIntegrated check posts are boosting connectivity but challenges remain
Riya Sinha looks at India's increasing trade and passenger movement with Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.Indus Waters Treaty is worth preserving
Selective cooperation with Pakistan, not mindless confrontation is the way forward, writes Jaimini BhagwatiEurope from Portugal to the Indo-Pacific
The unprecedented EU-India summit deepened ties but was also a political signal that Europe wants more weight in the Indo-Pacific.Nepal’s Turn to China: Opportunities and Challenges
Amish Raj Mulmi on his new book, All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China, and how Nepal views its northern neighbourBorders: From zones of security to commerce via ICPs
The Integrated Check Posts along India’s borders show the capacity of the Indian Government to deliver on infrastructure projectsPartition and Pragmatism in India-Pakistan Relations
In Pallavi Raghavan's new book, we find out how a history of India-Pakistan cooperation 70 years ago matters to foreign policy nowIndia’s civilian leadership must step up
Between the Indian Army’s ‘supremo syndrome’ and IAF’s ‘all is well’ syndrome, India’s military effectiveness is compromisedBook Review: The Absent Dialogue
There is a constant search for harmony among the three principal stakeholders of national security.Linking Land Borders: India’s Integrated Check Posts
How India’s Integrated Check Posts at its borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan facilitate regional connectivityIn India-Bhutan Borderlands, An Informal Exchange Rate System Thrives
In this edition, Saneet Chakradeo interviews Ankur Sharma on the parallel currency market in India-Bhutan borderlandsIndia, China, and the stalemate beyond Ladakh
Behind the ongoing military stalemate at the LAC lies a stifling political stalemate between India and China.India can’t yet claim to be vishwa guru: Shivshankar Menon
Menon’s new book, India and Asian Geopolitics, is a “plea” for India to engage with the world, especially Asia.Interview: Shivshankar Menon On His New Book ‘India And Asian...
India-China relations will be reset and there’s no going back to the status quo, Shivshankar Menon tells Youth ki Awaaz.Partitions and the Periphery: India, Burma, and Patkai borderlands
In this edition, Nitika Nayar interviews Bérénice Guyot-Réchard on her recent work on India and Burma's 'unfinished partition'.Upstream-downstream politics: South Asia’s water discourse
In this edition, we interview Sunil Amrith on his book Unruly Waters: How Mountain Rivers and Monsoons Have Shaped South Asia’s History.Deconstructing China’s infrastructure investments in Nepal
In this edition, we interview Galen Murton, and Austin Lord, on their article, ‘Trans-Himalayan power corridors: Infrastructural politics and China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Nepal’The great churning: Modi’s transformation of the Indian military
India’s current military transformation requires greater civilian participation and expertise in defense matters.China tore up the modus vivendi in 2020, the LAC is now live: Shivshankar...
We are still in the middle of a negotiating a crisis... the crisis is nowhere near over until Depsang, Gogra [are resolved], says Menon.India should not risk leaning too much on one side of global politics,...
Shivshankar Menon, author of ‘Choices: Inside the Making of Indian Foreign Policy’ and ‘India and Asian Geopolitics : The Past, Present.’ tells ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta at ‘Off The Cuff’.Why is China aggressively turning to the sea now?
What is new for China is that it now must think as a maritime power, something it has never done for any extended period of time, if at all, writes Menon.Watch | Understanding ‘India and Asian Geopolitics’
Shivshankar Menon's new book offers a sweeping survey of India’s strategic history as part of the larger Asian geopolitical narrative.India-China ties set for ‘hard times’ over next 5-10 years:...
India and China have been working to ease tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since the Galwan border clash in June 2020.India-Pakistan relations and Indian think tanks
In this edition, we interview Stuti Bhatnagar on her book “India's Pakistan Policy: How Think Tanks Are Shaping Foreign Relations.”Has Trump permanently altered U.S. foreign policy?
"Trump has changed U.S. foreign policy because the world now sees the United States differently and because the world has gotten used to a less predictable and engaged United States of America."Upgrading India’s regional disaster relief strategy
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new dimensions to the India–China competition in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.Chinese social media debates who is in control of Ladakh as India, China...
The February 11 agreement for disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso and the PLA Daily, for the first time, publicly claiming four Chinese casualties from the Galwan clash on February 19 have once again made China-India border standoff a major talking point in China.Sustaining trade routes in the Himalayan borderlands
In this edition, Riya Sinha interviews Dr. Tina Harris, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, on her book chapter, “The Mobile and Material in Himalayan Borderlands.”Use the Ladakh crisis as an opportunity
Civilians need to focus, laser-like, perhaps by creating a Defence Reforms Unit nested within the National Security Council, to push the military to adopt necessarily painful organisational reforms.India’s long game with the Generals
New Delhi will say what it can and do what it must. Expect public support for democracy and private engagement with the regime.Regional Connectivity and India’s BIMSTEC Policy
This paper reviews how regionalism is making a comeback in the Bay of Bengal, the challenges of connectivity, and the opportunities and limitations of India’s new approach to BIMSTEC.The Chinese chatter on Jack Ma and his mysterious disappearance
The world wants to know where is China’s most charismatic business leader Jack Ma, but the issue remains shrouded in secrecy and mystery.Book review: The Historian’s Eye
Romila Thapar provides a nonjudgmental cultural perspective on China.Connect East: Explaining India’s BIMSTEC focus
India’s growing interest in BIMSTEC reflects a geo-economic priority to correct the exceptional connectivity gap that continues to divide the Bay of Bengal region.Infrastructure across the India-Nepal borderlands: A photo-essay
This visual essay covers fieldwork and findings on how land acquisition and related challenges have delayed strategic infrastructure projects.India-China ties: The future holds ‘antagonistic cooperation’,...
The crisis has made it clear that India’s China policy cannot optimise for both security and prosperity.What China hopes to gain from the present border standoff with India
China's actions have brought about what it should be trying to deter, i.e. closer India-US coordination.A name upon a grave: India needs a proper account of the army’s war dead
If we are unable to reconcile the numbers of war dead, then naming and properly honouring every single one, and looking after their next of kin, is not possible.Their ties go back in time but India, China were absent from each...
While exchanging goods, people, and ideas for centuries, India and China did not deal with other as states or impact each other’s politics or security until the 19th century.Buddhism and the India-China rivalry in the Himalayas
Himalayan geopolitics is defined by a complex web of political and cultural ties among the diverse sects of Buddhism.India-Bhutan hydropower cooperation: Perceptions and politics
There is growing public concern in Bhutan regarding India’s increasing development cooperation in the country over the last few years.Make way for connectivity projects
Nepal and India should focus more on the strategic objective of developing infrastructure.How India can take the lead in reviving tourism in South Asia
The pandemic provides an opportunity for India to take the lead in promoting regional tourism, an important metric of soft power.League of nationalists
How Trump and Modi refashioned the U.S.-Indian relationship.India needs to invest in regional disaster relief mechanisms
Building capacities through training and joint exercises and coordinating comparative advantages for collective action will help India leverage goodwill among its neighbours through its disaster relief programmes.Domestic concerns still shape India’s foreign policy
It is a truism that foreign policy begins at home. But how does this work in India’s case? Five forces are at play — economic development, geographic reality, ideological positioning, transactional necessities and its place in the international order.Reviving energy cooperation in South Asia
Mirza Sadaqat Huda’s book offers unique insights into addressing the underlying problems in regional energy cooperation.Neighbourhood first responder: India’s humanitarian aid and relief
India must improve collaboration with neighbours and leverage regional institutions for disaster management.When land comes in the way: India’s connectivity infrastructure in Nepal
Land acquisition and lack of coordination has delayed India's development cooperation projects in neighbouring countriesTravel South Asia: India’s tourism connectivity with the region
Introduction Tourism is an important metric of a country’s soft power potential, marked by an increase in movement of people and enabling people-to-people connectivity. Over the last two decades, South Asia has emerged as an attractive tourist destination due to its natural and cultural diversity, and price competitiveness.[2] The region is home ...Bhutan’s democratic transition and ties to India
In this edition, Dr. Constantino Xavier interviews Dr. Sonam Kinga on his book “Democratic Transition in Bhutan: Political Contests as Moral Battles” published in October 2019 by Routledge India. The Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan offer comparative insights on how traditional Hindu and Buddhist monarchies have witnessed different political fates. ...Why Jagat Mehta would have seen Xi in the Mao mould, not Deng
I know my father would have advocated India find a diplomatic solution to the current imbroglio. But given his experience of Maoist China, he would have also urged that our velvet glove of diplomacy must now cover an iron fist of resolve.Mughal empire and the making of a region: Locating South Asia in early...
In this edition, Sofia Shehana Basheer interviews Dr. Manjeet S. Pardesi on his recent work on South Asian international history. The paper titled “Mughal Hegemony and the Emergence of South Asia as a “Region” for Regional Order-building” was published in the European Journal of International Relations, Vol. 25(1) in 2019. Regions have ...Conflict, conservation, and cooperation across the India-Bhutan border
In this edition of our blog series, Umika Chanana interviews Dr. Anwesha Dutta on her article “Forest becomes frontline: Conservation and counter-insurgency in a space of violent conflict in Assam, Northeast India” published in Political Geography Vol. 77, 2020. In the article [1], Dr. Anwesha Dutta construes the evolution of separatist movements that stimulates ...Interpreting the India-Nepal border dispute
On May 8, India’s defence minister virtually inaugurated a new 80 km-long road in the Himalayas, connecting to the border with China, at the Lipulekh pass. The Nepali government protested immediately, contending that the road crosses territory that it claims and accusing India of changing the status quo without diplomatic consultations. Among ...South Asia must now build resilient supply chains
Facilitate cross-border flow of goods and services by reducing tariffs; improving logistics, infra and digitisation.Interview: On India’s neighbourhood, regional institutions and...
Q. Given your expertise in South Asia, by making use of the framework established within comparative politics how do you make sense of India’s South Asian policies in recent times? To what extent does it differ for various regional settings such as BIMSTEC, BBIN, and SAARC? Constantino Xavier: The big puzzle that ...Linking border-making and sovereignty in postcolonial South Asia
In this edition of the Sambandh blog, Riya Sinha interviews Dr. Elisabeth Leake and Dr. Daniel Haines on their article, Lines of (In)Convenience: Sovereignty and Border-Making in Postcolonial South Asia, 1947-1965, published in the Journal of Asian Studies. The article combines archival history methodology with conceptual insights from political geography and critical ...India’s limited trade connectivity with South Asia
Introduction Despite geographical proximity and the existence of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), South Asia is one of the least economically integrated regions in the world. Owing to protectionist policies, high logistics cost, lack of political will and a broader trust deficit, intra-regional trade in South Asia remains well below ...India and Bangladesh: Border enclaves and ‘acts of belonging’
For decades, India-Bangladesh relations were marred by the question of a comprehensive settlement of the land boundary between both countries, an important aspect of which included facilitating the belated exchange of border enclaves. These were pockets of land embedded entirely in the foreign territory of its neighbour complicating the state’s administrative control ...India’s foreign affairs strategy
India finds itself in an increasingly dangerous world, one that is fragmenting and slowing down economically.How India-China rivalry affects secondary state behaviour in South Asia
Saneet Chakradeo interviews Rohan Mukherjee and Darren Lim on their article “Hedging in South Asia: balancing economic and security interests amid Sino-Indian competition” published in International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 2019. Q. In your article [1], you write on the concept of hedging, which describes the behaviour of secondary states amidst competition ...The road from India to Nepal: Development assistance and connectivity...
Regional connectivity in South Asia faces challenges that are unique to the region. According to a recent Policy Brief under our regional connectivity initiative, Sambandh, South Asia is arguably the least connected region in the world. Nepal is unique owing to various factors ranging from its terrain, its strategic location as the common ...India and Myanmar: The role of domestic calculations in the boundary...
In this edition of our blog series on issues related to India’s neighborhood connectivity, Nidhi Varma interviews Avinash Paliwal, on his recent work “A Cat’s Paw of Indian Reactionaries”? Strategic Rivalry and Domestic Politics at the India–China–Myanmar Tri-Junction published in Asian Security, 2020. Avinash is the Deputy Director of the South Asia Institute and Lecturer ...Following the money: China Inc’s growing stake in India-China ties
China's total investment in India exceeds an estimated US$26 billion, exceeding official estimates by 25%.Fuzzy frames: Mobile borders versus rigid boundaries in India’s...
In the first of our blog series on issues related to India’s neighbourhood connectivity, Nidhi Varma interviews Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman, Visiting Research Associate, Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi on his recent work in antiAtlas Journal “Informal Markets and Fuzzy Flows in Fragile Border Zones.” Q: In your article,[1] you examine the differences ...Is India still the neighbourhood’s education hub?
Introduction India has long been an education hub for students from its neighbourhood.[2] Besides economic benefits, India’s capacity to attract students from neighbouring countries has helped it to form closer political ties and spread its cultural influence and values to the surrounding region. India’s ability to provide quality higher education is a ...Sambandh as Strategy: India’s new approach to regional connectivity
Marked by a history of political divisions, economic differences, and geostrategic divergences, the Indian subcontinent remains deeply divided, with exceptionally low levels of integration. No other regional power is as disconnected from its immediate neighbourhood as India. Recognising this disconnect as a challenge to India’s economic and security interests, Prime Minister Narendra ...Acting East: India in the Indo-Pacific
On January 26, 2018, the 68th anniversary of India becoming a republic, New Delhi hosted the leaders of all 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – from the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte to Indonesia’s Joko Widodo, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi to Thailand’s Prayuth Chan-ocha. For India, Republic ...Is Modi’s balancing act a reworking of India’s classic...
How many acronyms can one invent to signal a country’s foreign policy interests? Many, if you are Narendra Modi. The Indian prime minister recently spoke about an India-France “In-Fra” alliance. Last year he reportedly coined or popularized the JAI (Japan, America, India) and RIC (Russia, India, China) trilaterals. There’s also his SAGAR ...The indigenisation of India’s defence industry
An indigenous defence industry is a vital objective for India given its security environment and strategic objectives. India has a large and growing defence budget and a long history of defence industrial production. However, the country remains heavily reliant on defence imports, particularly for major platforms, while its own exports are extremely ...From the iPhone to Huawei: The new geopolitics of technology
In meetings in various international capitals this summer from a gathering of defense ministers in Singapore to a meeting of economic policy heavyweights and CEOs in Paris discussions frequently revolved around the impact of technology. Of course, technological developments have long had implications for the global economy and international security, whether the ...India 2024: An interdependent China and India
China today looms large in India’s consciousness, with implications for India’s neighbourhood and connectivity initiatives, trade policy, and incoming investment. The next government will need to focus on certain priorities. Improve Aid Delivery Offering a credible alternative to the deepening Chinese economic presence in the neighbourhood remains a pressing challenge. While India ...India 2024: A neighbourly India
The South Asian neighbourhood has become a new foreign policy priority in recent years, mostly in reaction to China’s expanding footprint. In 2014, New Delhi shifted gears with its “Neighbourhood First” policy and focused more on the region than most preceding governments. However, these efforts were far too late and too little ...India 2024: A global India
The next Indian government faces a world that looks very different from the way it did five – and certainly 10 or 20 – years ago. The global economy is facing headwinds: stagnant trade, disruptive technologies, and growing protectionism concerning agricultural and manufactured goods, key services, technology transfers, and labour mobility. U.S. ...India 2024: A secure India
If we wish to secure the continued transformation of India, we must be prepared for the new situation and threats that we face. At a minimum, that requires urgent defence reform, foreign policy reform, and the reform of our security structures and practices. Update National Security Structures We have had twenty years ...The four “I”s undermining democracy
It will be an important year for democracy around the world. In April and May, India heads to the polls in what will be the largest organized political activity in history. Israel, Indonesia, and Ukraine just held very contentious elections while Spain, Australia, Canada, Tunisia, Argentina, Sri Lanka, and the European Parliament ...Survey of India’s Strategic Community
Like every major country, India has a strategic community: a relatively small group of professionals who, in different ways, direct or influence India’s foreign and security policy. This strategic community includes career diplomats, bureaucrats, military commanders, and intelligence officers, as well as political leaders from the ruling party/coalition and the opposition. ...Deepening democracy through diversity: Improving cooperation with India...
Executive Summary The policy literature on democracy often overlooks a number of factors that have important implications for democracy’s future. First, it frequently exaggerates the decline of democracy globally, often by conflating reverses in liberalism with reversals in democracy. Second, it continues to imply ownership of democracy by the Western world when ...Studying international relations in India
Thank you for asking me to the All India International and Area Studies Convention 2019. You have chosen an ambitious topic: “Ascending India: Reflections on Global and Regional Dimensions” and have a packed agenda in the next three days. I must confess to being a bit surprised at being asked to speak ...Maritime connectivity and security in the Indo-Pacific
Thank you for the kind invitation to address this august gathering in Bhubaneshwar today, and my Congratulations to Ambassador Lalit Mansingh and his colleagues at the Kalinga International Foundation on this wonderful new initiative. There are perhaps few better places than Odisha to discuss India’s growing role in world affairs. After all ...Here’s why Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia are trying to...
Asia is in a state of flux. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is reshaping the region’s geography, with roads and railways traversing Eurasia and new ports dotting the Indian Ocean basin. Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea continues, despite negotiations towards a code of conduct. Japan has found itself in an ...India’s strategic landscape: An assessment
In trying to assess the strategic environment in which India finds itself in 2018, it may be useful to make eight broad observations. One, the Indian economy is growing. In 2018, according to the International Monetary Fund, India surpassed France to have the world’s sixth largest gross domestic product (GDP). In the ...What about India, Indonesia, Australia: The new trilateral?Â
Among the growing network of trilateral discussions involving India and other countries, one that has received relatively little attention is the dialogue involving India, Indonesia, and Australia. The three countries held their first senior officials’ trilateral dialogue in November 2017 in Indonesia. To discuss this new trilateral, Brookings India and the Perth ...India rising: Soft power and the world’s largest democracy
Arguably, few phrases are as misused in international relations as “soft power.” When he coined the term, Joseph Nye captured the important and (at the time) poorly studied phenomenon in international affairs of “getting others to want the outcomes that you want,” predicated on the attractiveness of one’s culture, political values and ...India attempts to empower BIMSTEC after realising its limitations
Diplomats and foreign policy experts are puzzled by the absence of a “big announcement” or a major breakthrough from the fourth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). How will Prime Minister Narendra Modi claim victory from a bland declaration? Sometimes, no news is good ...Here’s why central and eastern Europe may become an area of promise...
In a rare high-level engagement by India in an increasingly pivotal region, President Ram Nath Kovind is on a visit to Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Long seen as an area of competing Russian and western interests, central and eastern Europe (CEE) has not always featured prominently in India’s foreign policy agenda. ...Implications of the US-China trade dispute
President Donald Trump has unleashed a wave of tariffs over the past year against many of its largest trading partners including China, Canada, the European Union, and Mexico. India too has been affected, particularly by tariffs on steel and aluminium. The rest of the world now confronts choices about how best to ...Revival of BIMSTEC at the Kathmandu Summit?
On August 30 and 31, Nepal will host the fourth BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other heads of government expected to attend the summit. Founded in 1997, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) includes Bangladesh, Bhutan,India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, but has often struggled ...India rising: Soft power and the world’s largest democracy
Arguably, few phrases are as misused in international relations as “soft power.” When he coined the term, Joseph Nye captured the important and (at the time) poorly-studied phenomenon in international affairs of “getting others to want the outcomes that you want,” predicated on the attractiveness of one’s culture, political values, and foreign ...Changing nature of international order and the role of U.S.
Brookings India hosted an expert roundtable discussion with Bruce Jones, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., on the changing nature of the international order and the United States’ role. While the discussion was under the Chatham House Rule, and therefore was not for ...The World Cup exposes the limits of globalization
International soccer, often known around the world as football, is undoubtedly a beneficiary and a symbol of globalization. Over 70 percent of players at this year’s FIFA World Cup play professionally for clubs outside their native countries. Chinese sponsors have shelled out $835 million on the event, contributing more than a third ...Measuring new indicators of growth
Notions of being prosperous and developed are changing around the world. The concepts of Gross National Happiness and United Nations’ World Happiness Report are gradually gaining momentum. In his February 2018 budget speech, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also outlined his government’s priority on ensuring ‘ease of living’. New Zealand is at ...Future of the India-Russia relationship post Sochi summit
On May 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin for an informal summit in Sochi, where the two leaders upgraded this traditionally close relationship to a “special privileged strategic partnership.” Despite this announcement, developments in West Asia, Afghanistan, and bilateral defence ties between India and Russia have raised questions ...Wuhan Summit: An important signal of intent by India and China
The last two years have seen a considerable widening of differences between China and India over issues such as the boundary dispute, the Belt and Road Initiative, Indian membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and China’s presence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Amid these developments, Indian Prime Minister Narendra ...Is Islam exceptional? And what does it mean for the future of Western...
In his book “Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle over Islam is Reshaping the World”, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Shadi Hamid argues that Islam is exceptional in how it relates to law, governance and politics, and plays an outsized role in public life in the Arab world. He also posits that the hope ...Perspectives on Pacific geopolitics
The concept of the Indo-Pacific has been in existence for several years now, although it has recently gained renewed traction. An understanding of the Indian and Pacific Oceans forming a common strategic space underpins this concept. It therefore emphasizes the maritime dimension of security in the region. It also implicitly elevates the ...What can be expected from a Trump-Kim meeting?
In keeping with his reputation as the global disrupter-in-chief, US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented acceptance of a face-to-face meeting with North Korea’s strongman Kim Jong-un in May has created a political whiplash. While most experts have only focused on the nuclear dimension, this initiative, if it is to materialize, is likely to ...Donald Trump’s trade war: A disruptive approach to trade policy
US President Donald Trump has changed the whole landscape of political discourse, especially with respect to trade policy. This began with the exit of the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and continues with the repeated threats of leaving the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), explicitly introducing non-trade objectives in trade ...Aid wars: U.S.-Soviet competition in India
The issue of development aid has significant contemporary relevance. Today, many longstanding donor countries like the United States debate the efficacy of aid, while new donors such as China and India explore the possibility of using economic assistance for political purposes. As David Engerman, Professor of History at Brandeis University, shows in ...Three un-Davos men: How the culture of contradiction infused the speeches...
The Harvard political scientist, Samuel Huntington, is most well-known for the idea of a clash of civilisations: Post-Cold War conflicts, he anticipated, would be between clashing cultures rather than between ideologies or sovereign states. Not as well-known is another idea from Huntington: The rise of the Davos Man, a new breed of ...The year of being in denial
The act of denial is a psychological defence used by humans to reduce anxiety when they feel particularly disturbed by events. Nowadays, this phenomenon, where even seemingly rational people will vehemently deny truths, is exacerbated by the advent of alt-facts, which sometimes make the gap between reality and unreality difficult to discern. ...Why Donald Trump must grab the opportunity to get US trade policy right
US president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in office left the TPP highly uncertain. After several attempts to clarify the way ahead, the rest of eleven TPP economies (TPP11) have recently agreed to continue the momentum to conclude the agreement, with some amendments. In ...China’s Frankenstein: ‘Rocket Man’
The successful test of the Hwasong-15 missile by North Korea has triggered several consequences, intended and unintended: First, Kim Jong Un has demonstrated the capability to potentially strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons. Second, the achievement has made the moniker of ‘Rocket Man’ (disparagingly used by US President Donald Trump) a ...The emerging Indo-Pacific architecture
The term “Indo-Pacific” has long been in vogue among marine biologists and ichthyologists to define the stretch of water from the tropical Indian Ocean, through the equatorial seas around the Indonesian archipelago, the South China Sea, and to the western and central Pacific Ocean. The term entered the geopolitical lexicon only in ...What’s changed in the Trump administration’s approach to Asia?
Let us give credit where credit is due. For all the talk of dysfunction and policy incoherence in Washington under President Donald J. Trump, his administration has started to get some things right, especially when it comes to Asia policy. It helps that some of the key positions in the U.S. government, ...Warring over disarmament in the UN
For most people the UN is the venue of an annual kabuki theatre where world leaders come to make sonorous speeches and snipe at each other to score points with populations back home. While these theatrics, played out every September from the UN General Assembly (UNGA), make for high entertainment, they do ...Tillerson’s visit opens a window of opportunity that India must...
In 2000, in the midst of a US election, George W Bush’s top foreign policy adviser Condoleezza Rice wrote an essay in Foreign Affairs that outlined the candidate’s worldview. Among other things, it recognised the importance of India, and the need to facilitate its rise as a balancer in Asia. The US ...The rise and rise of Xi Jinping: At 19th Party Congress, he consolidates...
The National Congress of the Communist Party, held every five years, is the closest thing authoritarian China has to an election. The most recent Congress – the 19th – was held October 18-24, and was an occasion for the over 2,000 delegates to deliberate and agree on policy matters guiding the nation. ...Donald Trump’s Iran folly and India’s dilemma
On 13 October, US President Donald Trump, in a much-anticipated move, declared Iran a “rogue regime”, a sponsor of terrorism, and an aggressor in the Middle East. Although none of this relates to the hard-negotiated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme, Trump announced that he would no longer ...Can insecurity in Asia be managed?
Since the end of World War II, Asia-Pacific has been the locale of direct and indirect military confrontation (in Korea and Indo-China, respectively) between the two superpowers; experienced unprecedented economic growth, which did not translate into closer integration (particularly among the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean); witnessed ...Enhancing the India-Japan partnership
There has been much ado about the advance in India-Japan relations following the recent summit between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe, which the India-Japan joint statement heralded as a “Special Strategic And Global Partnership”. Doubtless, the relationship has evolved to a level that might have been unimaginable just a few ...BRICS: From a big bang to a whimper
The 9th Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Xiamen began dramatically with a big bang, but it was not the kind of noise that host China would have wanted: the unannounced sixth and biggest nuclear test by China’s enfant terrible ally, North Korea. This test literally and politically ...China miscalculated how to handle India, allowed face-saving exit
To the considerable relief of all parties involved, India and China agreed yesterday to end a 74-day stand-off by their security forces near the trijunction with Bhutan. India initiated the announcement with a short statement that simply said that an “expeditious disengagement of border personnel…has been agreed to and is ongoing.” China ...Afghanistan and a new hyphenation
US President Donald Trump’s much anticipated speech outlining his administration’s approach to the quagmire in Afghanistan was uncharacteristic. It was cogent, coherent, logical, even compelling, and stayed on message. It was what one would expect of any significant foreign policy initiative but unlike most of the speeches that have become the hallmark ...Civil–military relations and professional military education in India
This paper analyses the ways in which civil–military relations shape professional military education (PME). Its main argument is that military education benefits from a civil–military partnership. In doing so, the article examines the role of civil–military relations in shaping PME in India. While describing the evolution of military education in India, it ...Beware the Trump effect
This is a tale of two septuagenarians; I hope they never meet. One is the country of India as an independent democratic nation. The other is the American president, a reminder that independent democracy provides no guarantee for its product. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington DC, he extended an invitation ...Why are China and India in a border standoff?
The standoff between Chinese and Indian forces near the trijunction with Bhutan is a live, and sensitive, issue for all three countries. It has also given rise to considerable misinformation. The facts of the matter are that on June 16, Chinese forces attempted to extend a road southwards in territory that China ...For a greater global role, here’s why India should take SDGs...
On 19 July, India presented its first voluntary national report on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN. Although India was just one of 43 countries to do so this year, it was, doubtless, the most anticipated report; there is broad consensus that the success or failure of the ...The birth of the new Nuclear Prohibition Treaty
The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is based on three myths: first, that nuclear weapons are an entitlement bestowed upon only a handful of countries that had tested a nuclear weapon before the treaty entered into force in 1970. Second, that the security of most of the world’s nations indeed world order ...Even as India attempts to ‘Act East’, it is ‘Thinking...
Not that long ago, the words ‘Not valid for travel to South Africa or Israel’ used to be clearly written on all Indian passports. Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel, the first by an Indian prime minister to that country, brings a long diplomatic arc to its natural conclusion. Since normalising relations ...When Narendra Modi played the Trump card
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first meeting with US President Donald Trump was, by most accounts of Raisina Hill and Washington, DC beltway watchers, a success for both countries. From an evenly matched handshake to the deft signature Modi baby bear-hug (a notable feat given Trump’s germ phobia) to the joint statement, the ...On China, Modi Won Unexpected Support From Trump
There is a lot to analyse, and possibly over-analyse, about the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump. There were some notable surprises, including the strong language used when condemning Pakistan for its refusal to crack down on terrorist groups operating across borders. There were also some ...Facebook Chat on India-US relations
Q: Dhruva, according to you which sectors will be the focus of the India-U.S. dialogue? Dhruva: Thanks for your question. The India-U.S. agenda is very broad, and will remain so. In the official meetings this weekend a lot will come up, including trade, immigration, security, etc. I suspect the meeting between Modi ...Trump & Modi: Seeking a global partnership?
The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Washington DC provides an opportunity for the US and India to set aside some of the uncertainties that have set into the relationship. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi must be ambitious and spell out a vision befitting a global partnership. Narendra Modi’s visit ...Book Review: Man on the Run
BRITISH INVESTIGATIVE journalists Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy have established themselves as specialists in fast-paced, densely-researched, narrative non-fiction books about the shadowy security of South Asia. Nuclear Deception was an account of the AQ Khan nuclear proliferation network. The Meadow told the tale of Western backpackers taken hostage in Kashmir in 1995. ...Realizing the India-US trade potential
There is significant scope to develop a cooperative India-US trade relationship that expands bilateral economic ties. This is something for US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep in mind when they meet in a few days from now. Making progress on trade, however, will not be easy. ...Growing the U.S.-India economic relationship: The only way forward
The June 26 White House meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and United States President Donald Trump will be an opportunity to reaffirm America’s commitment to deeper bilateral economic ties and to signal support for India, an economic and demographic powerhouse in Asia. While starkly different, the two leaders are ...Moving forward on defence and security
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets US President Donald Trump for the first time, the focus will be on establishing a good rapport between the two leaders. There remain concerns that their two governments’ objectives are not compatible: that Trump’s “America First” approach, which conceives of US interests in narrow, transactional terms, ...Narendra Modi goes to Washington, again
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans for his fifth visit to the US in just four years and his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, there is a perception that the two polarizing and uber-nationalistic leaders could determine the future course of India-US relations in two diametrically opposite ways. On the ...India and the United States in the Trump era: Re-evaluating bilateral and...
Donald Trump’s election at a time of growing and converging interests between India and the United States necessitates a re-evaluation of several aspects of Indian domestic and foreign policy. This paper identifies four areas in which Trump’s election affects Indian interests: bilateral relations (encompassing trade, investment, immigration, and technological cooperation), the Asian balance of power, counterterrorism, and global governance. ...Brace Yourself, South Asia’s Geopolitics Is Becoming More Complex,...
As in other parts of the world, the geopolitics of southern Asia is a result of its geography and history – and of its international context and domestic politics. Interestingly, the southern Asian sub-region has a bounded geography only to the north, where the high Himalayas mark a clear geographic, cultural and ...Donald Trump’s friends and foes: a role reversal
Since the US took to the global stage during World War I, two categories of countries have mattered to its world view: allies and adversaries. Both sets of countries garner great attention from Washington, though sometimes the latter commands even more consideration than the former, who are often taken for granted. Countries ...Donald Trump’s friends and foes: a role reversal
Since the US took to the global stage during World War I, two categories of countries have mattered to its world view: allies and adversaries. Both sets of countries garner great attention from Washington, though sometimes the latter commands even more consideration than the former, who are often taken for granted. Countries ...Actualising East: India in a Multipolar Asia
After years of a ‘Look East’ policy that recognised the importance of the Asia-Pacific region for Indian interests, the Indian government decided to upgrade it rhetorically to ‘Act East’. The objective of the ‘Act East’ policy is to ensure a multipolar Asia, through deeper institutional engagement, land and maritime connectivity, and security ...‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ for the 21st century
From Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, India’s leaders have often evoked the phrase vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family), taken from the Maha Upanishad, to elucidate the country’s global outlook. While the term has become a mantra of India’s diplomatic lexicon, it has remained ambiguous and rarely elaborated. Indeed, despite their ...India doesn’t have a lot to lose by boycotting OBOR. Read why
What does India want from the world? It’s quite clear, really: international partnerships to accelerate its domestic development, a stable and conducive periphery, a multi-polar Asia, an end to cross-border terrorism and a sufficient role in global governance to enable it to meet these goals. Today, each of these objectives relates in ...New Delhi’s efforts at ICJ may just have won Kulbhushan Jadhav a...
On May 18, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the principal judicial arm of the United Nations – ruled on the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Pakistan alleges is an Indian spy. The court unanimously declared that Pakistan must take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not ...Joint Doctrine for Armed Forces: the single-service syndrome
Last month the three service chiefs released the latest iteration of the Joint Doctrine for the Indian Armed Forces. In the foreword the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral Sunil Lanba, wrote that that the Joint Doctrine “provides foundations for greater integration and interdependence, to achieve higher inter-operability and compatibility ...Should India Inc. bid for Westinghouse?
George Westinghouse and the company he founded in 1886 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pioneered the commercial production and transmission of a scientific marvel called electricity, which has since powered and revolutionized the modern world. With the dawn of the nuclear age, Westinghouse Electric Company went on to develop pressurized water reactors (PWRs) for ...Coming up Trumps
As Donald Trump completes 100 days as US President, what has it meant for India? The short answer is, nobody knows, not even Trump. But in an era of greater uncertainty, it is important for India to identify the key variables triggered by Trump’s election. They relate, essentially, to four broad areas: ...Donald Trump’s tumultuous 100 days
As Donald Trump lunges towards 100 days of his presidency with the elegance of a raging bull in a china shop strewn with nuclear trip wires, he has notched up several dubious “firsts” in this brief period: the first to lose a hand-picked national security adviser to scandal in a mere 24 ...Can unarmed states prohibit nuclear weapons?
Guess what terrifies nations armed with the most powerful weapons ever invented? Believe it or not a mere UN conference to ban them, which began on 27 March in New York. This gathering of nations without nuclear weapons to negotiate a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total ...Can unarmed states prohibit nuclear weapons?
Guess what terrifies nations armed with the most powerful weapons ever invented? Believe it or not a mere UN conference to ban them, which began on 27 March in New York. This gathering of nations without nuclear weapons to negotiate a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total ...View from India: Pak may want to think twice about US mediation
Donald Trump, deal-maker. That’s how the president of the United States has long branded himself. But his tenure as deal-maker-in-chief has not gotten off to a great start. Whether it is the defiance of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in conducting missile tests or Syria’s Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons, Trump has ...China benefits from nuclear disorder
The rise in global nuclear disorder and its increasing disconnect from world order is epitomized in the nuclear weapon programmes of two weak and potentially failing states Pakistan and North Korea. While both these countries might understandably perceive some advantage to having acquired nuclear weapons, the real beneficiary is China. Beijing’s ...North-East Asia goes dangerously ballistic
If there was any doubt that North-East Asia has become the most dangerous place on earth, with the prospect of a nuclear exchange, then recent events provide ample evidence that the region has attained this dubious distinction. Additionally, a new UN report, which went practically unnoticed, revealed that North Korea has continued ...Indo-US naval cooperation: steady as she goes?
The US and Indian navies could carry out ‘benign naval and maritime activity’ during periods of diplomatic strain. In the ever-expanding universe of Indo-US cooperation, perhaps the brightest and most alluring star is the deepening partnership between the Indian and US navies. Consider two recent pronouncements: First, admiral Harry Harris, the commander ...Trump’s new trade tax in uncharted territory
The proposed border tax adjustment policy deviates from the conventional WTO-consistent regime. US President Donald Trump is expected to announce his new tax policy, with lower corporate tax and a border tax adjustment (BTA) scheme. In addition to recent Bills pertaining to BTA introduced in the US Congress, the Republican Party’s House ...Can Trump really value a strong, independent India?
The US capital is a strange place these days. The District of Columbia’s coffee shops are running a brisk business, attending to a steady stream of ex-Obama administration officials and patient federal government employees awaiting policy direction from on high. Many members of the Republican policy firmament appear alienated, some bitterly so. ...A disrupter’s guide to India’s defence budget
While India’s defence budget is now the fourth largest in the world, it is not providing adequate bang for the buck The latest Union budget unveiled on 1 February by finance minister Arun Jaitley has been widely commended as a “defining” and “watershed” moment, as providing “stability and predictability”, and as being ...Dhruva Jaishankar on how the H-1B visa controversy will affect India
https://twitter.com/ABCNews24/status/826396780057079808 Brookings India Fellow for Foreign Policy Dhruva Jaishankar spoke to ABC News on the future of Indian workers on highly skilled visas (H-1B) in the US under President Donald Trump. Mr Jaishankar said: “There has been a lot of criticism of this programme within the US, irrespective of Donald Trump, including ...What Trump’s TPP withdrawal means for India
In one of his first acts upon assuming office, Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum confirming the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This move did not come as a surprise. As a presidential candidate, Trump had vociferously campaigned against what he described as bad or unfair trade agreements that the ...Passing the baton: what to watch in the Donald Trump regime
With Donald Trump taking over as US President from Barack Obama, what legacy does he inherit? How could the change in administration in Washington affect India, directly or indirectly? Bilateral Issues Immigration: Trump campaigned on anti-immigration sentiment, but sometimes tried to make an exception for high-skilled immigration, which includes the H-1B visa ...Global trends: discontinuity and disruption – risks and challenges...
Key global trends include rising income, climate change, growing cyber dependency, ageing population, artificial intelligence, and the changing nature of conflict Last week, two events held the world spellbound: one featuring outgoing US President Barack Obama was a cerebral, dignified and solemn affair while at the other guttural, farcical and burlesque circus, ...Barack Obama leaves a mixed legacy: impressive handling of the US economy...
Eight years ago, on a freezing January morning, I stood with over a million people on the National Mall in Washington DC to watch a 47-year-old African-American senator become the 44th US president. There was a pervasive sense at the time, particularly among young, highly educated and urban Americans, that Barack Obama ...India’s military diplomacy: taking the leap
It is undeniable that the nature of military force in international affairs has changed in the seven decades since India’s Independence. It has been almost 45 years since India fought a major conventional war, and events since – including the experience of India’s counter-insurgency in Sri Lanka, its development of nuclear weapons, ...Australia-India relations: poised for take off
Relations between India and the United States before the redefining changes of the past two decades were possibly best summarised in the title of a book by the American diplomat Dennis Kux: Estranged Democracies. But that phrase could just as easily have applied, more recently, to India and Australia. Despite their having ...It’s time to resuscitate the Asia-Pacific Quad
2016 was quite a year. The Middle East continued its violent downward spiral; a failed coup in Turkey erased the last vestiges of democracy in that country; the new president of the Philippines launched a bloody, nation-wide vigilante war on drugs; North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, and its biggest to ...How Donald Trump may re-negotiate the TPP
In a recent video message, US president-elect Donald Trump announced certain actions he would take on the first day of his administration. On the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he said: “I am going to issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a potential disaster for our country. Instead, we ...Trump’s decision on Trans-Pacific Partnership gives India some...
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a landmark trade deal driven by US which spanned 12 Pacific Rim countries, excluding China. It was viewed as President Barack Obama’s strategy to set more ambitious trade rules and preserve US dominance. In keeping with his election promise, President-elect Donald Trump said he would undo TPP on ...How to tame a dragon: To deal with Chinese muscle in a post-American...
The election of Donald Trump as US president has unleashed further uncertainty on a world already in considerable flux. Trump has promised economic protectionism, reversals on immigration and militarism against terrorists, but has outlined few concrete policies. Much will depend on his cabinet appointments and his ability to work with US Congress ...‘India should be less worried about trade with US than others’
Dhruva Jaishankar, Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings India, tells Aditi Phadnis of the Business Standard that India should take advantage of Donald Trump’s election as US President and shape an outcome to its advantage. Edited excerpts: After a long hiatus, a Republican has become the President of the United States. And it is ...India, meet President Trump
For India, there are naturally opportunities in Trump’s election, but concerns over his Asian policy cannot be brushed aside With the election of Donald Trump, we have seen the biggest shock to US politics in 70 years. Trump was given only a slim chance of victory. He had no previous experience as a public servant and few detailed ...Uncertainty and unpredictability about Trump’s presidency
Dhruva Jaishankar spoke to Quint and BloombergQuint on what having Donald Trump as the next U.S. President means for India. The election of Donald J Trump as the 45th President of the United States was a surprise to many people in America and around the world. While there will be a lot of ...With Trump’s victory, American exceptionalism came to an end
Fifteen years ago, I came to the United States as an undergraduate student. A few weeks after my arrival, I watched the World Trade Center’s twin towers collapse live on television from my dormitory in Minnesota. Two years after that, stuck in a snowstorm in Colorado, I watched America plunge headfirst into ...Brics Summit overshadowed by “how to isolate Pakistan” agenda
Instead of using the Brics summit to push for greater economic growth and a greater global governance role, India sought to use it more for dealing with Pakistan Hosting international summits inevitably offers a country the opportunity to lead the agenda and provide leadership to the meeting; enhance the institution’s role in ...“Modi government has been hardening stance against Pakistan for a...
Brookings India Foreign Policy Fellow Dhruva Jaishankar was part of a panel discussion on NDTV on the next steps for India post the Uri attacks where 18 Indian Army soldiers were killed. Anchor: Politics does guide the decisions of all governments everywhere in the world. You can’t divorce politics from governance. How much ...Pew survey results heartening for government but should not lead to...
What does India think? This is a question that those of us who work on policy issues outside of government are often expected to answer. A country as big and diverse as India is naturally home to a wide variety of views. Often, we tend to reflect the positions of our peers, ...India’s bid for “regionalism” in South Asia and what it...
The killing of 18 Indian soldiers on Sunday, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based militants, is just the latest incident to drive a wedge between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent his first two years in office engaging his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. In an unprecedented move, Sharif was ...Indian Ocean region: A pivot for India’s growth
“[Matsya said] ‘I have saved you from this cataclysm’ [and Manu] set about his work of creating all beings in proper and exact order.” –The Mahabharata, iii.186 The Indian Ocean matters today, arguably more than ever. It is a major conduit for international trade, especially energy. Its littoral is vast, densely populated, ...Why Hillary is a safe bet for India
The field is set. With the formal anointing of party nominees at the Republican and Democratic Party conventions in July, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is certain to be the next U.S. president. This match-up is remarkable for several reasons. Trump would be the first U.S. leader in over a half ...“Trump’s anti-trade rhetoric does not create an opening for...
In an interview to The Quint on July 22, Foreign Policy Fellow Dhruva Jaishankar offered a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. Presidential election campaign, and the ramifications of the election for India and the rest of the world. The current state of affairs in the Republican and Democratic Parties He started with ...China’s reaction to Hague ruling could have negative impact on other...
China’s shrill and bellicose response during and after the ruling has only served to heighten alarm over Beijing’s intentions and behaviour among all the major powers, including India The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague against China’s claim on the South China Sea in a case brought ...The South China Sea arbitration ruling, and why it matters to India
The future of the South China Sea has global implications, as jurisdiction over a few seemingly minor islands legitimises control over vast amounts of sea On Tuesday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague released its much-awaited ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China on the South China Sea disputes. ...As China’s Pakistan ties deepen, India needs a strategy to mitigate...
Much of what we have seen in the strengthened China-Pakistan alignment in the last decade is a reaction to the rise of India. Andrew Small, a former journalist who is now a fellow at the German Marshall Fund in the United States, has written a detailed and well researched book on a ...Here’s how the future of the South China Sea will have global...
On Tuesday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague released its much-awaited ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China on the South China Sea disputes. The decision marks the most high-profile development concerning the overlapping and intensifying territorial disputes, which directly involve China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, ...Brexit, missile control and India
A diminished England, sans nuclear weapons, coupled with a fragmenting Europe, is unlikely to play its traditional role of shaping norms Two recent though unrelated events are likely to significantly impact the evolving global order and India’s role in it. The first was the unfortunate and histrionic referendum, which will lead to ...Divided, volatile world ahead
Brexit could not have come at a worse time. The world is a risky place, and many problems can only be addressed through global institutions and international cooperation. On the face of it, Brexit will not materially impact the energy market and, in particular, the efforts to weaken the linkage between fossil ...Brexit: The first major casualty of digital democracy
In the aftermath of the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, we are left with more questions than answers. Dhruva Jaishankar writes that with all the questions about what happens next, there's a bigger question worth asking: What are the implications of Brexit for democracy? Arguably, Brexit represents the first ...
Critical Seoul NSG meet will have reverberations for India’s...
NSG meeting is no less important, for the potential implications it could have for relations between India and China writes Dhruva Jaishankar A decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on June 23-24 – as to whether to include India as a member – may be overshadowed in international media by other ...India-U.S. | Looking back: Highs, lows, and steady progress
India and the United States have come a long way since 2008, the year that Barack Obama was elected U.S. President. Earlier that same year, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took the unusual step of putting the future of his government on the line over a matter of foreign policy – specifically, ...India’s underpowered foreign policy
Narendra Modi government needs to work with several other constituents, including state governments, corporate sector, think tanks and civil society writes WPS SIdhu At the end of its second year in office, the foreign policy performance of the Narendra Modi government resembles that of a gleaming Ferrari powered by a frugal Ambassador ...Can India’s Think Tanks Be Truly Effective?
If there is one big challenge that all think tanks face it is measuring their effectiveness writes Dhruva Jaishankar I have worked for much of the past decade in, or with, think tanks in both the US and in India, and am regularly confronted with misperceptions and misapprehensions about the sector. What ...What the Nuclear Security Summits mean for South Africa
WPS Sidhu provides an in-depth analysis of South Africa’s nuclear position and the ramification of Nuclear Security Summits on South Africa The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process – to prevent non-state actors, particularly terrorists, from acquiring nuclear material – was launched with fanfare in 2010 by US President Barack Obama with a single ambitious objective ‘to ...The Brussels syndrome
There needs to be an international consensus on zero tolerance for all terrorism, as advocated by India and several other countries writes WPS Sidhu. “What we had feared has come to pass,” said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on 22 March. Like the Stockholm syndrome a phenomenon in which hostages express sympathy ...Dr Barack versus President Obama
Barack Obama’s foreign policy reflects a moral duality that has befuddled friends and enemies alike Barack Obama’s foreign policy, like the main character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, reflects a moral duality that has befuddled friends and enemies alike and will complicate ...What China’s rise means for India
As a rising power, China is determined to have an independent say in the economic, political, and security order around her and in the world. What does China’s rise mean for India?
A tale of an election and a selection
Unless the P5 recognize that a weak and inept leader challenges their own legitimacy, the UN will be encumbered by a powerless leader writes WPS Sidhu This year will witness at least two leadership transitions of great international significance, including for India. The first is the election of the 45th president of ...Xi Jinping’s strategic Middle East gambit
The Chinese president’s visit to Iran (after summits in Saudi Arabia and Egypt) is of strategic significance. What is the difference between India and China’s strategic partnerships with Iran? Over $35 billion per year (the gap between India’s and China’s annual bilateral trade with Iran, which stands at $15 billion and $50 ...The global implications of Barack Obama’s speech
The US president’s swan song has eloquently, though incompletely, spelt out an ambitious but essential vision for a new world order The annual state of the union (SOTU) address by the sitting president to the US Congress is invariably a laundry list of the government’s legislative agenda aimed primarily at a domestic ...What drives South Asians to peacekeeping?
Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), quotes Brookings India Non-Resident Senior Fellow WPS Sidhu extensively on how Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal are among the top contributors to UN peacekeeping missions across the world. What are the factors driving these “relatively poor” nations to send troops to work under the UN flag? Waheguru ...India has played a significant role in shaping 3 key deals in 2015
2015 will be remembered for bold initiatives at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral level As 2015 draws to an end, it will be remembered for bold initiatives and done deals at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral level, which will flourish or flounder depending on how successfully they are implemented. Almost all of ...Avoiding a cop out in Paris
Three of the most exciting initiatives have emerged on the sidelines of the official deliberations, and Indians have played a prominent role in all of them Ever since Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field at the end of his epochal maiden solo, non-stop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris in ...Cities become battlefields of terrorism as world continues to urbanise
The recent series of dastardly and heinous attacks in places as dispersed as Baghdad, Beirut, Bamako, Kabul and Paris by myriad terrorist outfits ranging from the Taliban to Islamic State and al-Qaeda hold several important lessons for international efforts to counter terrorism. First, cities, especially those with a significant international presence (such ...Africa: The indispensible continent for India?
Despite the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy hyper-activism, Africa has remained a neglected continent for India. When the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), originally scheduled for December 2014 in New Delhi, was postponed ostensibly on account of the deadly Ebola crisis sweeping West Africa, this perception was confirmed for many Africa-watchers. However, the ...UN missions bedrock of India’s military engagement and assistance to...
India must have a serious dialogue with African countries on its role in future peacekeeping operations on the continent. India’s participation in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) is probably without parallel; it has been one of the largest contributors of peacekeepers and has suffered the most casualties in the process. Eighty per ...Private sector, state government, civil society can take India-Africa...
With over 40 African heads of governments and states attending, the third India-Africa Forum Summ (IAFS) being held in New Delhi is the biggest foreign policy event hosted by India in more than three decades. While this process was partly in response to initiatives by other emerging powers, particularly the Forum on ...Africa, the indispensable continent for India
Four ways in which India and Africa matter to each other The third (IAFS) in New Delhi this week, with over 40 African heads of governments and states attending, will be the biggest foreign policy event hosted by India in more than three decades. While this process was partly in response to initiatives ...Great power dance at the United Nations
Coupled with the re-engagement of existing and emerging powers with the proceedings, the UNGA is becoming an important venue for a great power dance Time was when the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) jamboree in New York was an entertaining but worthless talkfest used by leaders such as Hugo Chavez, Muammar ...SGDs: India’s potential path to global power
Fact: India is home to more than 30% of the world’s extremely poor people Fact: Uttar Pradesh accounts for 8% of world’s population living in extreme poverty Fact: 8 Indian states have more poor than 25 of the poorest countries in Africa Fact: There are 66 million poor people in UP alone, more ...From Pittsburgh to Antalya
The G-20 may have to revert to its crisis management role, but in more complex conditions The G-20 finance ministers and Central Bank governors meeting took place last Friday and Saturday in Ankara, Turkey. The group’s summit meeting will be held in Antalya in mid-November, seven years after the 2008 summit in ...Space: securing India’s final frontier
The launch of the GSLV–D6 powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine is a game-changer Even as the country was agog with a salacious society murder and an indefensible regional protest over reservations, which hogged the electronic bandwidth and the print media, an event of strategic import crucial to secure India’s space frontier ...All eyes on Pakistan’s commitment to peace in the region
WPS Sidhu argues that Pakistan walking away from the Ufa Agreement talks will be seen as Pakistan walking away from terrorism talks This interview first appeared on CNN-IBN channel. Watch the full discussion here. Key highlights This government is not going to allow Pakistan to meet Kashmir separatists on its own Pakistan pulling ...Chinese tremors
China’s path to global economic leadership is bound to be marked by episodes of turbulence Recent developments in the Chinese financial sector have raised concerns globally about another looming crisis. Fears about a currency war have been expressed and equity markets in both emerging and developed economies have plunged. These views are ...Watching how Modi’s UAE visit translates on ground
WPS Sidhu outlines important issues to watch in India-UAE relations, from investments to countering terrorism, Indian workers rights and diplomacy in the Middle East region. Watch the full interview on CNN-IBN here. The bottomline is, first, the amount of investment that comes into India. We know the UAE has one of the biggest sovereign ...UAE visit part of Modi’s Look East, Link West strategy
WPS Sidhu would like to wait and watch out the India-UAE cooperation on counter-terrorism is actually going to play out This interview first appeared on 17 August 2015 on CNN-IBN. Watch the full interview here. What is your assessment of the India-UAE counter-terrorism cooperation talks? In many ways it is unprecedented but ...UNSC: Misreading an opportunity
Recent news reports would have us believe that India’s chances for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have been scuppered even before they began by the very countries that promised to support its case when the reality is the other way around. This is tantamount to reading a ...Revealing the real strategic significance of BRICS
The recently concluded twin summits in Ufa – the summits of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – are a strategic milestone for the emerging global order. The outcomes of these summits also hold significance for India’s future role in it. While ...Strategic Importance of Ufa Summits
The recently concluded twin summits in Ufa, Russia of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) are a strategic milestone for the emerging global order and India’s role in it for several reasons. First, host Russia sought to use the summits to vindicate ...Brics: Shaping a New World order, Finally
From the 6th Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit at Fortaleza to the forthcoming seventh Brics summit in Ufa this week, this unlikely grouping first conceived as an investment portfolio is increasingly reflecting the desire and limited ability to shape a new world order. This is a significant feat ...Keeping peace among peacekeepers
The word peacekeeping does not appear anywhere in the Charter of the UN. Yet, ever since the first peacekeeping operation was launched in May 1948 in the Middle East, that one word evokes the very raison d’etre of the world body. Since then the UN has deployed 70 peacekeeping operations with some ...Looking ahead: The next 365 days
By most accounts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has notched up a good year in the foreign policy realm, with Modi himself being the principle planner and implementer of the most significant initiatives. Even his most ardent political critics have acknowledged the energy and vigour he has displayed while globetrotting around capitals ...India-U.S. Relations: Repaired, Revived, Revitalized
In the foreign policy arena the biggest accomplishment of the Narendra Modi government has doubtless been the evolution of relations with the United States. During his first year Prime Minister Modi has almost single-handedly repaired, revived, revitalized, and re-energized relations with the United States from one that was either hopelessly adrift or, ...Bold Initiatives Stymied by Systemic Weakness
While Mr. Modi’s foreign policy objectives are the same as his predecessor, what has changed is the implementation and operationalization of these objectives. During the hustings last year foreign policy was barely mentioned in Narendra Modi’s campaign. However a year after his stunning victory, which gave India its first majority government in ...How great power competition has changed
Power is now more evenly distributed in the international system. As a result, there is rising geopolitical competition among great powers. Shivshankar Menon lays out the several consequences of this increased competition.The Iran deal: Implications for U.S.-India relations
Should the deal with Iran on nuclear non-proliferation be concluded this summer, it would also vindicate India’s preference for diplomacy over military action to address contentious issues, particularly in the Middle East.India: Building the Foundations for Robust Global Engagement
While Mr. Modi’s personal world view and its effect on India’s foreign policy is difficult to discern, India has considerable potential to establish itself as a more influential player on the world stage. In order to prioritise India’s contribution to developing international regimes related to climate, cyber, energy, food, outer space, trade, ...What the Iran nuclear deal means for India
The Iran deal or the “Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program”, to use the wordy official moniker has been evaluated by most experts in only nuclear terms and measured in the number of centrifuges and Tehran’s break-out timeline to build a ...The Big Deal
This column first appeared in the Indian Express, on January 29, 2015. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. Nuclear cooperation between the United States and India, starting with the July 18, 2005 ...The Bilateral Imperative
This column first appeared in Business Standard, on January 25, 2015. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. During the five-year period 2003-08, even as the world economy was barrelling along, three countries ...Operationalizing India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Cooperation
U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation, starting with the July 18, 2005 nuclear agreement and culminating in the formal 123-agreement bill approved by the U.S. Congress on September 28, 2008, was expected not only to become a springboard for extensive bilateral nuclear cooperation, including the sale of U.S. reactors to support India’s ambitious nuclear ...Greek tragedy – Act II?
This column first appeared in Business Standard, on January 11, 2015. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. Developments in Europe have dominated the headlines over the past couple of weeks, and not ...Learning the art of deal-making
This column first appeared in Mint, on December 8, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. Three recent bilateral agreements have the potential to dramatically change India’s relations with major powers and ...Saarc: building a constellation of stars?
This column first appeared in Mint, on November 23, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. With squabbling members and embarrassingly poor integration there are few expectations for the 18th summit of ...War, peace and international order
This column first appeared in Mint, on November 9, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year will mark ...Modi’s delivery challenges
By all accounts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US was triumphal: both in purely investment terms and in terms of the lofty rhetoric and unprecedented public buzz that his outings generated. The former, according to the US-India Business Council, will yield an investment of over $41 billion over the next ...Rhetoric signifying something
This column first appeared in the Indian Express, on October 6, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the authors. Only the most churlish would argue that the prime minister’s visit to the US was ...Modi’s prayer at the multilateral altar
This column first appeared in Mint, on September 29, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the authors. The inevitable hype over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, particularly the impressive line up ...India-U.S. Relations: The View from New Delhi
There was a time when India-U.S. relations were summed up in platitudes like “world’s largest democracies,” while seasoned pundits lamented that they were in fact “estranged democracies” that had very little in common. Today, with nearly 30 separate dialogues, the India-U.S. agenda involves issues ranging from the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) to the ...Energy: A Solid Pillar upon which to Build India-U.S. Relations
In this India-U.S. Policy Memo, Vikram Singh Mehta emphasizes the importance of energy as a solid pillar for building and consolidating India-U.S. relations and identifies three ways in which the two countries can cooperate further.