JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
ORGANIZATION AND DISARMAMENT
Cordially invites you to
A Talk on
Is there an Indian Way of Multilateralism?
Speaker
Dr Rajeesh Kumar
(Associate Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi)
Wednesday, 13 February 2019
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Room No. 349, School of International Studies (SIS – II)
Abstract
Is there an Indian way of multilateralism? The general and predominant assumptions on India’s multilateral approach are: India is a ‘naysayer’ and rule breaker; India’s approach to multilateralism is dubious; India is a selective rule taker with inconsistency and ad-hocism; India’s relationship to multilateral institutions is highly complex; India is a hesitant rule shaper, and reluctant to take on the global responsibility. While discussing the role of India as an emerging power, many analysts noted that the country is neither a responsible player nor a reliable partner in multilateral institutions. Further, those who see India as one of the most ambitious players of global governance observed that the lack of material power to shape the global process pushed India to embrace multilateralism, the universalism of the weak. While offering a critique of prevailing literature on India’s multilateralism, the talk aims to answer the pertinent question – is there an Indian way of multilateralism? It also attempts to theorize ‘ambiguity’ and ‘reluctance’ by analysing domestic, systemic and sub-systemic factors and recommends a more suitable theoretical framework, analytic eclecticism – the use of middle range theories and plural methods.
Dr Rajeesh Kumar is an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. He is the author of a number of books, edited volumes and articles, including The International Committee of the Red Cross in Internal Armed Conflicts: Is Neutrality Possible (Palgrave, 2019), Eurozone Crisis and the Future of Europe: The Political Economy of Further Integration and Governance (Palgrave, 2014) and ‘Waiting for Godot’: India and United Nations Security Council Reform (Strategic Analysis, 2017).
