Rajeesh Kumar is an Associate Fellow at the Institute, currently working on a project titled “Emerging Powers and the Future of Global Governance: India and International Institutions.” He has PhD in International Organization from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Prior to joining MP-IDSA in 2016, he taught at JamiaMilliaIslamia, New Delhi (2010-11& 2015-16) and University of Calicut, Kerala (2007-08). His areas of research interest are International Organizations, India and Multilateralism, Global Governance, and International Humanitarian Law. He is the co-editor of two books;Eurozone Crisis and the Future of Europe: Political Economy of Further Integration and Governance (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014); and Islam, Islamist Movements and Democracy in the Middle East: Challenges, Opportunities and Responses (Delhi: Global Vision Publishing, 2013).
The Perils of Vaccine Nationalism
COVID-19 vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations will prolong the pandemic, and result in greater economic and social damage.
The United Nations and Global Environmental Governance
When the United Nations (UN) was founded, environmental issues were not seen as a significant threat. Now, seventy-five years since the UN first came into existence, environmental issues, from being of peripheral concern, have become mainstream and are defining many multilateral deliberations. The growing environmental concerns – particularly since the 1960s – resulted in the emergence of hundreds of multilateral and bilateral agreements along with international and national institutions. The contributions of the UN in all these developments were critical.
India’s Apps Ban: Preparing for Long Haul
While India’s decision to ban Chinese apps is legally tenable under both domestic IT laws and international trade rules, it is important that any ambiguity in the ban order that can be challenged at WTO is effectively addressed.
Hara-kiri Multilateralism: United Nations Response to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities of the international system, particularly those of multilateral institutions. When the much spoken borderless threat became a reality, the multilateral institutions were found not only unprepared but acting in a self-destructive mode.
From Bush to Trump: American Exceptionalism and its implications for Multilateralism
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Rajeesh Kumar’s chapter on American exceptionalism, titled ‘From Bush to Trump: American Exceptionalism and its implications for Multilateralism’ has been published in Arzu Merali & Faisal Bodi, eds. The New Colonialism: The American Model of Human Rights, London: IHRC, 2019.
Is Revitalising SAARC Possible and Rational?
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).
COP25: Another Lost Opportunity
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.
New Directions in India’s Foreign Policy: Theory and Praxis
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.
Can ICJ ensure the life of Kulbhushan Jadhav?
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.
Designating Masood Azhar at the United Nations: More than a Symbolic Diplomatic Victory
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.