Constantino Xavier is a Fellow in Foreign Policy and Security Studies at CSEP, and a Non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He leads the Sambandh Initiative on Regional Connectivity, which examines India’s political, security and economic relations with the South Asian neighbourhood.

He is currently writing a book on how democratic values influence India’s foreign policy, with case studies on Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar based on new archival sources and interviews. He is also part of several policy dialogues between India, the European Union and other Indo-Pacific powers, and frequently comments for the media.

Dr. Xavier’s research has been published in various journals and books, including Asian Policy, the Oxford Handbook on Indian Foreign Policy, and the Routledge Handbook of China-India Relations. He has taught and lectured at various universities, as well as at Indian training institutions, including the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, the Foreign Service Institute, and the National Defence College.

He received research awards from the United States Fulbright program and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and holds a Ph.D. in South Asian studies from the Johns Hopkins University.

Representative Publications

South Asia – India’s regional strategy, connectivity, and infrastructure:

• “Paramount to Connect: India As A Regional Power,” (Book Chapter, India’s Marathon – Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, Takshashila Institution, November 2020)
• “When Land Comes In The Way: India’s Connectivity Infrastructure In Nepal,” (Paper, Brookings India, August 2020)
• “Is India Still The Neighbourhood’s Education Hub?” (Policy Brief, co-authored with Aakshi Chabha, Geetika Dang, Brookings India, March 2020)
• “Across The Himalayas: China In India’s Neighbourhood,” (Book Chapter, Routledge Handbook of China-India Relations, Routledge, March 2020)
• “Sambandh As Strategy: India’s New Approach To Regional Connectivity,” (Policy Brief, Brookings India, January 2020)
• “Converting Convergence Into Cooperation: The United States And India In South Asia,” (Journal Article, The National Bureau of Asian Research, January 2019)
• “India’s “Like-Minded” Partnerships To Counter China In South Asia,” (Article, India in Transition, Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, September 2017)
• “The New Indian Realpolitik,” (Article, Foreign Affairs, December 2018)

BIMSTEC and regional institutions:

• “Connect East: Explaining India’s BIMSTEC Focus,” (Article, Observer Research Foundation, January 2021)
• “Regional Connectivity And India’s BIMSTEC Policy,” (Journal Article, co-authored with Riya Sinha, Vivekananda International Foundation, January 2020)
• “Bridging The Bay of Bengal: Toward A Stronger BIMSTEC,” (Paper, Carnegie India, February 2018)

India’s relations with Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar:

• “India’s Long Game With The Generals,” (Op-ed, The Hindustan Times, February 2021)
• “India Cannot Afford To Think Of Permanent Friends Anymore In Its Neighbourhood,” (Interview, Scroll, August 2020)
• “Interpreting The India-Nepal Border Dispute,” (Comment, Brookings India, June 2020)
• “How India Should Deal With Gotabaya’s Sri Lanka,” (Op-ed, Hindustan Times, November 2019)
• “No Illusion That Nepal Will Pick Sides On Indo- Pak Dispute,” (Interview, The Annapurna Express, February 2019)
• “India Must Play Hardball If It Wants To Be Part Of The Maldives’ Return To Stability,” (Op-ed, Hindustan Times, February 2018)
• “How Nepal And India Can Keep Their Relationship Special,” (Article, The Wire, August 2017)

India’s foreign policy, strategy, soft power and democracy: 

• “Cultures Of Pluralism In India’s Soft Power Strategy,” (Book Chapter, India’s Great Power Politics: Managing China’s Rise, Routledge India, December 2020)
• “‘Does India Negotiate?’ by Karthik Nachiappan,” (Book Review, ‘Does India Negotiate?’ by Karthik Nachiappan, Seminar, July 2020)
• “Individual And Ideological Immunity? The Resilience Of Indian Foreign Policy,” (Book Review, ‘Modi And The Reinvention of Indian Foreign Policy’ by Ian Hall, The National Bureau of Asian Research, April 2020)
• “India’s Reluctant But Democratic Approach To Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding,” (Book Chapter, Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Asia: Lessons in South-South Cooperation, Korea Development Institute and The Asia Foundation, December 2019)
• “Modi’s Middle Way,” (Article, The ASAN Forum, August 2019)
• “Power And Democracy: India’s Foreign Policies During The Cold War by Zorawar Daulet Singh,” (Book Review, ‘Power and Democracy: India’s Foreign Policies During The Cold War’ by Zorawar Daulet Singh, Seminar, March 2019)
• “Modi’s Foreign Policy,” (Book Review, ‘Modi’s Foreign Policy’ by Reeta Chowdhari Tremblay and Ashok Kapur, South Asia Economic Journal, May 2018)

European Union and India

• “Talking Trade With The EU,” (Op-ed, co-authored with Mohan Kumar, The Hindu, August 2020)
• “Five Reasons For India’s Growing Partnership With The European Union,” (Op-ed, Dainik Bhaskar, July 2020, Hindi)
• “Global Governance, Security, And Strategy In The EU-India Partnership,” (Report, co-edited with Garima Mohan, Global Public Policy Institute and Carnegie India, April 2017)
•  “Brussels And Delhi: Converging Interests In The Indian Ocean,” (Policy Brief, co-authored with Darshana M. Baruah, Global Public Policy Institute, March 2017)

India’s diaspora policy, migration

• “Covid-19: Getting Indian Citizens Back Home,” (Op-ed, Hindustan Times, May 2020)
• “Bringing The Diaspora Home: India’s Expatriate Evacuation Operations,” (Paper, Carnegie India, January 2017)
• “Experimenting With Diasporic Incorporation: The Overseas Citizenship Of India,” (Journal Article, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Taylor & Francis Online, March 2011)