The Diplomat | Author

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan is Distinguished Fellow and Head of the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), one of India’s leading think tanks.
Previously, she held stints at the National Security Council Secretariat, where she was an assistant director, and the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses New Delhi, where she was a research officer.
She is the author of four books, and her research articles have been published extensively in edited volumes, peer-reviewed journals, and newspapers internationally. She has also lectured in Indian military and policy institutions and has been invited to speak in various regional and international fora.

March 04, 2021
Asian Military Spending: A Sign of Worsening Security Environment
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
With no guarantee that the security environment in the Indo-Pacific will settle down any time soon, the expectation is that military spending will continue to increase.

February 25, 2021
Jaishankar Reaches Out to Delhi’s Indian Ocean Partners
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar paid recent visits to the Maldives and Mauritius.

February 19, 2021
India-Saudi Security Ties Getting Stronger
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
While energy security continues to dominate the agenda, security and defense cooperation are becoming more important in the India-Saudi relationship.

February 12, 2021
Assessing the Trajectory of India-US Ties Under Biden
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
A series of high-level calls, including between Biden and Modi, suggest a possible trajectory for relations between India and the new U.S. administration.

February 04, 2021
Amid China Concerns, India Boosts Defense Budget
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
The budget growth, clearly aimed at countering the challenge along the Sino-Indian border, is still marginal.

January 28, 2021
India to Host Indian Ocean Defense Ministers Meeting
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
Beijing’s growing activities in the Indian Ocean region are of great concern in New Delhi.

January 22, 2021
Sea Vigil: India’s Coastal Security Exercise
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
Given India’s vast coastline and a not-so-benign neighborhood, India has to remain vigilant to external threats via sea routes.

January 14, 2021
Connectivity Gaining Greater Currency in India-Bangladesh Relations
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
Bangladesh has expressed interest in the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, despite slow progress made to date.

January 07, 2021
Indian Defense Ministry Year End Review Focuses on China
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
India’s year end defense review explicitly mentions China, an interesting feature given the reluctance of Indian leaders to directly address Beijing at times.

December 31, 2020
India-Russia Relations Face More Trouble
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
India and Russia cancelled their annual summit for the first time in two decades. Is China the reason why?

December 28, 2020
India-Vietnam Virtual Summit Strengthens Partnership
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
The strategic necessity of dealing with an aggressive China brings India and Vietnam closer together.

December 18, 2020
India-Iran-Uzbekistan Pursue Central Asian Connectivity
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
The Iranian port of Chabahar has the potential to shift some of the regional dynamics in India’s favor.
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