Rajeesh Kumar

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.

This article analyses the history of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform with a particular focus on India’s aspiration and attempts to become a permanent member on the Council. The primary objectives of this historical examination are to appreciate how hard reforming the UNSC is and to understand how challenging it will be for India to acquire a permanent seat on the Council. Probing the General Assembly debates on UNSC reform, the article exposes the fundamental hurdles to change, the duplicity of the permanent five (P-5) and lack of unity among the stakeholders.

• Published: November 2017

One of the primary reason for recurrence of violence is the failure of peace agreements to address the real issues of conflict. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and Addis Ababa Agreement of August 2015 have many fault lines which potentially contribute to protracted conflict.

• Published: October-December 2016

A careful reading of the report of the deliberations of the UNGA on November 7, 2016 would suggest that nothing has changed at the ground level; only the rhetoric of member states has been amplified.

• Published: December 08, 2016