Africa, Latin America, Caribbean & UN

About Centre

The Centre’s research focus includes understanding developments in the African region and analysing various hotspots like Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, and the Indian Ocean Region. It also focuses on bilateral, regional and multilateral engagements between India and the countries of Africa. The Centre also endeavours to analyse India’s engagement with Latin American countries, particularly in forums such as IBSA, BRICS, etc. In addition, the Centre carries out research on the broader theme of India and the United Nations. It deals with important topics that come up in the Security Council and those that hold relevance and significance for India’s foreign policy.

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Development and India’s Economic Multilateralism: Where from? … Where To?

The Financing for Development (FFD) process and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) process are some of the recent events in the realm of economic multilateralism in the United Nations (UN). India, on its part, has always engaged with the UN and global multilateral processes. This study seeks to focus on India’s diplomacy on FFD and SDGs in the context of its long history of engaging with global economic governance through the UN.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Internal Armed Conflicts

  • Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
    2018
This book critically examines the possible dilution of the neutrality principle of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in internal armed conflicts. It begins with the proposition that the intervention of ICRC in internal armed conflicts led to compromises in neutrality, and questioned the autonomy and independence of the organization. The book also argues that the field operations of the international humanitarian organizations during internal armed conflicts are dependent on the authority exercised by the state in whose territory the conflict persists. The ICRC’s involvement in Sri Lanka and Sudan provides empirical support to validate these propositions and arguments.
  • E-book ISBN:978-981-13-2601-1, Hardcopy ISBN: 978-981-13-2600-4,
  • Price: E-book - $54.99, Hardcopy - $69.99

India and Africa: Common Security Challenges for the Next Decade

  • Publisher: Pentagon Press
    2016

Over the coming decade, converging global security challenges will necessitate combined efforts by states to manage threats and maximise opportunities. Among the most significant challenges that India and Africa will face in paricular, are reforms in global governance institutions, maritime security threats in the Indian Ocean, energy insecurity and the rise of extremism and terrorism. This volume combines Indian and African perspectives with regard to the common security challenges they are likely to face in the foreseeable future.

  • ISBN 978-81-8274-860-6,
  • Price: ₹. 595
  • E-copy available

United Nations Security Council Reform: Perspectives and Prospects

Over the years, the world has changed in fundamental ways. We are witnessing a resurgence of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Growth and development have not only made the countries more interdependent, but new and increasingly complex challenges have also arisen. For multilateralism to remain relevant and effective in today's world, multilateral institutions must adapt and reform to reflect contemporary geo-political realities. It is in this context that the expansion of the UN Security Council is of significance.

India and Africa: Enhancing Mutual Engagement

  • Publisher: Pentagon Press
    2014

This book represents an effort to build on existing partnerships between African countries and India and to explore new areas of convergence for mutual engagement. It originated from the First India-Africa Strategic Dialogue hosted by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi in November 2011. It brings together Indian and African perspectives on global, regional and bilateral issues of strategic relevance to both sides.

  • ISBN 978-81-8274-751-7,
  • Price: ₹. 795/-
  • E-copy available

International and Regional Security Dynamics: Indian and Iranian Perspectives

  • Publisher: Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
    2010

The book draws attention towards the entire spectrum of the India-Iran relations covering cooperative endeavours in energy sector to common concerns in Afghanistan, Pakistan and developments in Central and West Asia. Crucial policy options are also provided by Indian and Iranian experts to take the relationship between India and Iran forward.

  • ISBN 81-86019-58-8,
  • Price: ₹. 300/-
  • E-copy available

Contemporary Technology in Peacekeeping Operations

Since the Cold War, United Nations peacekeeping has evolved from monitoring peace treaties to multidimensional peacekeeping operations tasked with rebuilding states and their institutions during and after conflict. In June 2014, An Expert Panel on Technology and Innovation in UN Peacekeeping recommended investigating how innovative technology can strengthen peacekeeping missions.

UN Peacekeeping and Ambiguity in Normative UN Norms

When UN peacekeeping missions get deployed, adherence to the UN norms helps the missions get legitimacy, earn credibility, and find better acceptance in society. The UN norms namely the three principles of peacekeeping, which were conceptualised in 1958 have further evolved with different interpretations making the norms ambiguous impacting the performance of the UN peacekeeping operations.

Multidimensional Peacekeeping Protection Mandate and Recalibration of the UN Military Peacekeepers

The United Nations has introduced a layered approach to UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs) with wide-ranging enablers based on many reviews. Accordingly, a new resolution on the protection of civilians (POC) was adopted by the UN Security Council in 1999. The study attempts to understand the complexities of multidimensional PKOs, POC, 2019 policy, specific role of the UN military force and the need for new structuring and training of the UN military presence in the mission areas.

A ‘Regional’ Intervention in the Debate on India’s Strategic Culture: Maratha Statecraft in Agyapatra

Existing scholarship on India’s strategic culture pronounces on it either based almost entirely on India’s post-independence strategic behaviour with some references to the pre-independence period or on select historical experiences and texts. For a large part of its history, however, the Indian sub-continent has been under ‘regional’ rulers, ranging from small to very large kingdoms. There are traditions that emanate from them that are as much part of the Indian strategic culture as the pan-Indian phenomena.

India–Africa Co-Operation on Maritime Security: Need for Deeper Engagement

With approximately 74 million Sq Km and 20per cent of the global ocean, the Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world. Alarmingly, this area has over the last two decades been plagued with unprecedented grave maritime security challenges. Dauntingly, these problems are dynamic and cross-jurisdictional. Consequently, combating them necessitates combined efforts among states. This article explores the efficacy of the maritime security architecture within the Indian Ocean rim countries, focusing on the co-operation between India and African states.

The Unlikely Friends: Iranian–Latin American Relations and Washington’s Anxiety

Although Iran and the Latin American states appear to be unlikely allies when considering the vast distances and the religious, cultural and demographic differences between these regions, their shared experience of Washington’s hegemonistic designs have brought them closer. Washington’s failure to isolate Tehran has meant that the Islamic Republic, and Hezbollah, have prioritised relationship-building with states that are at the doorstep of the US. Although this has antagonised the US, Washington has only offered a weak reaction to the economic and geopolitical advances made by Iran.

The Brexit-Belt and Road Axis: India for Neighbourhood First

China's Belt & Road Initiative (B&RI), also known as One-Belt-One-Road (OBOR), depends for its success on a tacit alliance with Britain and the financial acumen of the City of London. The London-Beijing axis has likely gathered momentum with Britain's decision to quit the European Union (EU) in June 2016 and Prime Minister Theresa May's triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in March 2017, to begin the divorce process.