Rajiv Bhatia

Rajiv Bhatia

Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Programme

Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia is Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Studies Programme at Gateway House. He is a member of CII’s International Advisory Council, Trade Policy Council and Africa Committee. He is the Chair of FICCI’s Task Force on Blue Economy, and served as Chair of Core Group of Experts on BIMSTEC. He is a founding member of the Kalinga International Foundation and a member of the governing council of Asian Confluence.  As Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) from 2012-15, he played a key role in strengthening India's Track-II research and outreach activities. During a 37-year innings in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), he served as Ambassador to Myanmar and Mexico and as High Commissioner to Kenya, South Africa and Lesotho. He dealt with a part of South Asia, while posted as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. A prolific columnist, he is also a regular speaker on foreign policy and diplomacy in India and abroad. He was Senior Visiting Research Fellow during 2011-13 at the Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore. He holds a master’s degree in political science from Allahabad University.  His first book India in Global Affairs: Perspectives from Sapru House (KW Publishers, 2015) presented a sober and insightful view of India’s contemporary foreign policy. His second book,  India-Myanmar Relations: Changing contours (Routledge 2016) received critical acclaim. His third book, India-Africa Relations: Changing Horizons (Routledge 2022) has also been receiving positive reviews.  
Expertise

Foreign Policy, Quad & Indo-Pacific, South & South-East Asia, Africa, Blue Economy

Last modified: November 15, 2017

Recent projects

feature picture Courtesy:
12 October 2017

Discussing river preservation

Rivers bestow blessings and those thus blessed are duty-bound to nurture them in return – or face the catastrophes that climate change will bring

25898612650_ca634e3dbc_o Courtesy: MEA/ Flickr
31 August 2017 Gateway House

India in Canada’s worldview

India hardly figures in current discourse on Canadian foreign policy. Yet, the two countries are important to each other: one, a source of investment, technology and energy, the other an attractive market. The current challenge is to conclude negotiations on long-pending trade and investment agreements
BRICS_leaders_meet_on_the_sidelines_of_2016_G20_Summit_in_China (1) Courtesy: Narendra Modi/ Flickr
12 August 2017 Gateway House

BRICS Summit under Doklam shadow

BRICS, which has always been committed to enhancing solidarity, is now entering its second decade – even as tensions between its two most consequential members remain unresolved and member states and other emerging markets are set to serve as “the main engine” of global growth
India Vietnam relations Courtesy: Narendra Modi Official/ Flickr
24 July 2017 Gateway House

India, Vietnam tied by strategic trust

Vietnam has the highest level of bilateral relationship—or ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’—with three countries: China, Russia and India. It envisages a much more active role in the region for India, but many factors mar such a development currently
IMG_1696 Courtesy: Arjun Chawla
13 July 2017 Gateway House

Remarks from Delhi Dialogue 9

This speech was delivered by Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Gateway House, at the Delhi Dialogue 9, for the session on Regional Geopolitics: Great Power Politics in Asia -Pacific in Delhi on 4 July
IMG_1695 Courtesy: Gateway House
13 July 2017 Gateway House

Emerging Horizons in India-Vietnam Relations

The following speech was delivered at the Inaugural Session of the International Conference on Emerging Horizons in India-Vietnam Relations, in Delhi, on 3 July. Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Gateway House chaired this session.