Dr Rudra Chaudhuri

Biography

Rudra Chaudhuri is a senior lecturer at the Department of War Studies and the India Institute at King’s College London (currently on research leave). In addition, he is the founding director of the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Diplomatic Academy for South Asia. He is also the Director of Carnegie India.

He is the author of Forged in Crisis: India and the United States Since 1947 (published in the U.K. by Hurst, in 2013, and in the U.S. and South Asia by Oxford University Press and Harper Collins, respectively, in 2014). His research has been published in scholarly journals such as International History Review, Diplomacy and Statecraft, Journal of Strategic Studies, International Affairs, the RUSI Journal, Defense Studies, and other academic and policy-focused journals. He is an occasional commentator in the media.

He is also a visiting professor of international relations at Ashoka University, New Delhi. He previously taught at the U.K. Joint Services Command and Staff College. He holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London.

Rudra Chaudhuri is the Director of Carnegie India where he organizes and hosts 'India and the World', a series of webinars that feature academics, experts, and crucial stakeholders as they examine the implications of the coronavirus pandemic for India's engagement with the world. The series covers discussions on key issues such as the future of global finance and the challenges and opportunities stemming from the coronavirus pandemic for India's foreign policy.

Research Interests

• Strategic theory and culture
• Strategic, diplomatic and economic history of South Asia (post-1945)
• History and practice of intelligence in South Asia
• Contemporary history of Afghanistan
• Domestic politics and foreign policy

His primary research focuses on the diplomatic history of South Asia and contemporary security issues. He is currently writing a book on the global history of the Indian Emergency, 1975-1977. At present, he is also heading a major research project that involves mapping and analyzing violent incidents and infrastructural development on and across India’s borders.

Teaching (Undergraduate)

• 5SSW2054 War and Global Conflict in the Contemporary World
• 4SSW1004 Contemporary Security Issues

Publications

• ‘War and Peace in Contemporary India’. 29 July 2019, In: Journal of Strategic Studies. 42, 5, p. 567-576
• ‘Just another border incident’. 29 July 2019, In: Journal of Strategic Studies. 42, 5, p. 654-676
• ‘Indian “Strategic Restraint” Revisited: The Case of the 1965 India-Pakistan War.” 21 Feb 2018, In: India Review
• ‘Re-reading the Indian emergency: Britain, the United States and India’s constitutional autocracy, 1975-1977’. 2018, In: Diplomacy and Statecraft. 29, 3, p. 477-498
• ‘The Making of an ‘All Weather Friendship’ Pakistan, China and the History of a Border Agreement: 1949-1963’. 6 Mar 2017, In: International History Review, p. 1-24

Report:

• ‘Taliban Perspectives on Reconciliation’. Chaudhuri, R., Farrell, T., Semple, M. & Lieve, A., Sep 2012, London: RUSI

Policy Paper:

• ‘Dealing with the Taliban: India’s Strategy in Afghanistan After U.S. Withdrawal’. Chaudhuri, R., & Shende, S. June 2020, New Delhi: Carnegie India

Media Articles:

• ‘In Era of Social Distancing, India’s Ministry of External Affairs Must Reimagine Diplomacy’. 12 May 2020, in The Print.
• ‘India Leans Into Its Fight Against the Coronavirus’. 25 Mar 2020, in Carnegie India
• ‘What Will Trump’s Visit Do for US-India Ties?’. 23 Feb 2020, in BBC
• ‘Namaste Trump: Can PM Modi Make US Prez Look Past the Trade Differences?’ 20 Feb 2020, in Business Standard
• ‘India’s View on Soleimani, Iran, and the United States’. 9 Jan 2020, in Carnegie India

See Rudra's research profile