Rajeesh Kumar

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Dr. Rajeesh Kumar’s article on SAARC, titled ‘Is Revitalising SAARC Possible and Rational?’ has been published in the Spring-Summer 2020 edition of Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies (JSPES).

The article explores, as a regional organisation, how SAARC has failed to promote cooperation in the region. Against the backdrop of the structural fragility of SAARC and conflict among member states, this article examines the possibility and pragmatism of revitalising SAARC and argues that even if reinvigorated through structural reforms, the organisation will not be able to contribute to regional cooperation and development.

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• Published: 18 March, 2020

COP25 was expected to give prominence to science, streamline ambitious targets and raise trust among parties. Even after a marathon two-week talks, issues such as creating an international carbon market and climate financing were pushed to the next year.

• Published: January 15, 2020
• IDSA Comments

One of the limitations of Indian foreign policy literature is its apathy towards employing novel approaches and methods. Though Indian foreign policy has gone through a dramatic transformation, particularly in the last two decades, the majority of scholarly attempts still spin around traditional theoretical paradigms. Thus, the academic enterprise on Indian foreign policy remained limited to the realist, liberal and at best post-colonial explanations. The inability of these distinct theoretical traditions to explain the complexity of Indian foreign policy created a void in the literature.

• Published: September 2019
• Strategic Analysis

Associate Fellow, IDSA, Dr Rajeesh Kumar’s article on Kulbhushan Jadhav, titled ‘Can ICJ ensure the life of Kulbhushan Jadhav?’ has been published in Global South Colloquy on July 19, 2019.

The Jadhav Case showcases the virtue of doing right things at right time and place, rather than hanging on to irrational policy acuities that no outside mediation is acceptable in any aspect of the India-Pakistan conflict. Whether it is bilateral or, multilateral, India’s primary concern should be national interest and ensure the life of Indian citizens. Such a policy and approach was more or less absent in India’s foreign policy in the past. Cases such as banning of Masood Azhar at the UNSC and Kulbhushan Jadhav at the ICJ show that India is on the right track on using multilateral forums pragmatically, writes Dr Kumar.

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• Published: 19 July, 2019

The decade-long effort to list Azhar showcases the pragmatism that marks India's multilateral diplomacy and questions the general perception that India's multilateral approach is ambivalent and inconsistent.

• Published: May 09, 2019
• IDSA Comments

Associate Fellow, IDSA, Dr Rajeesh Kumar’s review of the book ‘How to Do Things with International Law’ by Ian Hurd has been published in Volume 09 of ‘The Rest: Journal of Politics and Development.

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• Published: 24 April, 2019

The implications of a no-deal Brexit, particularly on EU-UK trade relations, security and the rights of the citizens, would be grave and irreparable.

• Published: February 22, 2019
• Issue Brief

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration embodies the international community’s collective commitments to promoting cooperation on migration and solve the growing migrant crisis.

• Published: January 02, 2019
• IDSA Comments

Given the structural fragility of SAARC and its inability to promote South Asian regional integration, an attempt to reboot the organisation would be futile.

• Published: May 01, 2018
• Issue Brief

Geopolitical competition between the great powers with or without direct conflict will lead to a situation where productive cooperation among them on critical international issues is likely to prove difficult.

• Published: April 06, 2018
• Issue Brief