Dr Rajeesh Kumar is a Research Fellow at the Institute. Dr Kumar completed his PhD from the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Prior to joining MP-IDSA in 2016, he held teaching positions at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and University of Calicut, Kerala. He is also the Book Review Editor of Strategic Analysis published by Routledge, the institute’s flagship journal.
Dr Kumar is the author of the monographs titled – Indian and Chinese Approaches to United Nations Peacekeeping in Africa (MP-IDSA, 2024), Principled but Evolving: India’s Approach to Multilateral Peace and Security (MP-IDSA, 2021) and The International Committee of the Red Cross in Internal Armed Conflicts: Is Neutrality Possible (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). He is also the co-editor of India and Africa: Deepening the Security Engagement (Pentagon, 2024), Eurozone Crisis and the Future of Europe: Political Economy of Further Integration and Governance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) and Islam Islamist Movements and Democracy in the Middle East (Global Vision, 2013). His articles, opinion pieces, and reviews have appeared in Journals and Newspapers, including Strategic Analysis, India Quarterly, Journal of Defence Studies, Journal of Common Market Studies, Central European University Political Science Journal, The Indian Journal of Politics and International Relations, E-International Relations, The Hindu, The Diplomat, Japan Times, Tehran Times and The Outlook.
He was also one of the Co-Chairs of the Think-20 Task Force on ‘Reformed Multilateralism: Transforming Global Institutions and Frameworks’ during India’s G20 presidency.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Rajeesh Kumar’s article ‘Explained | Multilateral reforms as a priority in the G-20’ has been published in ‘The Hindu’ on 06 March 2023.
The article analyses should multilateralism be given importance in today’s global order? How can the G-20 help in multilateral reform? Can multiple minilateral groupings become an alternative mode of multilateral cooperation? Why would global powers be averse to the idea of reform in multilateral institutions?
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Rajeesh Kumar’s article ‘G20 and Inclusive Green Growth: Can India Take It Forward?’ has been published in the India Foundation Journal, on 31 October 2022.
India’s G20 presidency comes at a critical stage in world affairs, where deep-rooted fault lines emerge, and transformative solutions are needed, says Dr Kumar.
As the emerging Cold War theatrics and veto politics threaten to further paralyse the functioning of UNSC, the Ukraine crisis is unlikely to abate any time soon.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Rajeesh Kumar’s article ‘The United Nations and the crisis in Yemen’ has been published in ‘The Hindu’ on 26 January, 2022.
The crisis in Yemen has steadily escalated in recent weeks with the Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE and the retaliatory air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the Houthi-held territories in Yemen. The worsening crisis with wider geopolitical implications for the Gulf region has raised questions on what the international community, especially the UN, has done to resolve the issue, says Dr. Kumar.
The ruling is considered the most detailed decision of the United Nations' top court in war compensation and signifies the occupying powers' reparation duties for damages resulting from its direct and indirect actions that violate international law. The judgement is undoubtedly historic and destined to act as a precedent for future cases. It once again establishes the fact that international law matters in situations of interstate armed conflicts.
To sustain its historical interest and influence in the UN peacekeeping operations, India should provide technical assistance to the missions while continuing to contribute troops, rather than a complete transformation from being a traditional troop contributor to a technology contributor.
The vaccine inequity is not only morally indefensible but clinically counter-productive. Allowing most of the world’s population to go unvaccinated will only spawn new virus mutations. Preventing this humanitarian catastrophe requires removing barriers – such as TRIPS – to vaccine production and its equitable distribution.