Amb. Shivshankar Menon served as India’s Foreign Secretary in 2006-09 and subsequently as its fourth National Security Advisor. A career diplomat, he is among India’s foremost foreign policy experts. < Back Amb. Shivshankar Menon Ambassador Shivshankar Menon is currently visiting professor at Ashoka University, India, and Chair of the Ashoka Centre for China Studies. He was previously National Security Advisor 2010-2014; Foreign Secretary of India, 2006-2009; and Indian Ambassador or High Commissioner to China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Israel.He has published Choices; Inside the Making of Indian Foreign Policy in 2016 and India and Asian Geopolitics; The Past, Present (Brookings Press USA, & Penguin Random House India) in April 2021.

< Back Mr Angshuman Choudhury Angshuman Choudhury is currently a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi. Prior to this, he was a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, where he also coordinated the South East Asia Research Programme. He is also a former GIBSA Visiting Fellow to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin. He primarily works on Myanmar, Southeast Asia, India-ASEAN relations, Indian foreign policy, and citizenship and identity in Northeast India. His writings on these issues have appeared in a number of Indian and international publications, including South China Morning Post, Asia Times, The Diplomat, The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Irrawaddy, Channel News Asia, Scroll, and The Wire. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Development and Justice Initiative (DAJI), a New Delhi-based NGO that works with asylum seekers and other marginalised groups. He is the co-founder of Right to Nationality and Citizenship Network (RNCN), a collective of researchers, lawyers, and activists researching on and advocating against statelessness in India. Publications Nagaland Deaths: How Govt Apathy Created a Permanent ‘State of Exception’ thequint.com/voices/opinion/nagaland-deaths-govt-apathy-has-created-a-permanent-state-of-exception-in-northeast Neutrality or timidity? Unpacking India's position on the Russia-Ukraine crisis https://barbedwires.substack.com/p/neutrality-or-timidity-unpacking?s=r Hijab ban: How some liberals are sleepwalking into the trap set by Hindutva nationalists https://scroll.in/article/1017559/hijab-ban-how-some-liberals-are-sleepwalking-into-the-trap-set-by-hindutva-nationalists

Dr. Gaurav Saini is the co-founder and Head of Operations and Strategy at the Council for Strategic and Defense Research. < Back Executive Editor: Dr. Gaurav Saini Dr. Gaurav Saini is co-founder of CSDR and leads product design and partnerships. Dr. Saini holds a PhD in International Politics from the Centre for International Politics, Organization, and Disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His research interests include foreign policy, strategic culture, defense industry, regionalism, and conflict resolution. Currently, he is an Emerging Quad Think Tank Leader, a part of the U.S. State Department’s Leaders Lead on Demand program.

< Back Dr Sharinee L Jagtiani Dr Sharinee Jagtiani is an analyst & researcher of international relations and public policy. She has 10 years’ experience in think-tanks & research institutions across Asia and Europe in cross-functional roles that include foreign policy analysis, policy advice, project management, grant procurement, stakeholder management, communication, and lecturing. She has a doctorate in International Relations at Oxford University and her thesis focused on Indian foreign policy. She is currently based at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and Oxford working on global affairs and rising powers, with a passion for examining the international relations and foreign policies of the global South. Publications

< Back Dr Helena Varkkey Helena Binti Muhamad Varkkey is a social scientist based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of International and Strategic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, and a Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She holds a PhD in International and Strategic Studies from the University of Sydney, and has authored several books, book chapters and journal articles for publishers including Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and Brill. Her latest book is ‘The Forests for the Palms: Essays on the Politics of Haze and the Environment in Southeast Asia’, published in 2021 by ISEAS, Singapore. She also served as a Consultant for the ‘Final Review of the Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation’ for ASEAN Secretariat in 2020-2021, and as a Subject Area Expert for environmental politics, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia, between 2016 and 2018. Publications Blog By exporting trash, rich countries put their waste out of sight and out of mind: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/opinions/by-exporting-trash-rich-countries-put-their-waste-out-of-sight-and-out-of-mind-varkkey/index.html Three things Jokowi could do better to stop forest fires and haze in Indonesia https://theconversation.com/three-things-jokowi-could-do-better-to-stop-forest-fires-and-haze-in-indonesia-120497

< Back Ms Khyati Singh A PhD Scholar at Center for United States Studies, SIS, JNU. Research Associate at Center for Air Power Studies. Did her masters from SIS, JNU. Published a range of articles concerning Indo-Pacific, AI, Cyber Security. Publications

< Back DR HAPPYMON JACOB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Happymon Jacob is the founder and director of the Council For Strategic and Defense Research, a new-age think-tank based in New Delhi. Dr Jacob is also an Associate Professor of Diplomacy and Disarmament at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Dr Jacob is an accomplished author, having written the books ‘Line on Fire: Ceasefire Violations and India-Pakistan Escalation Dynamics’ (OUP, 2019) and ‘Line of Control: Traveling with the Indian and Pakistani Armies’ (Penguin Viking, 2018). happy@csdronline.com 123-456-7890

< Back Dr Amrita Sen Amrita Sen is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, and a Visiting Faculty at Azim Premji University. She completed her PhD in Environmental Sociology, from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kharagpur, for which she had received the award for Excellence in PhD thesis, 2019. She is a member of the International Sociological Association, Indian Sociological Society, and the International Association for the Study of Commons. She has published articles in journals such as the International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, Economic and Political Weekly, and the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. Her upcoming book, to be published by Routledge, is titled, ‘Contested landscapes and regional political ecologies of environmental conflicts in India’. Publications From SMART to Sustainable Cities: Is COVID19 an opportunity?: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/from-smart-to-sustainable-cities-is-covid19-an-opportunity-66363/ Is COVID-19 a Capitalocene Challenge?: https://www.en.envstudies.carsoncenter.uni-muenchen.de/news1/events11/record-enrolment1/index.html Cyclone Bulbul in the Indian Sundarbans: Another Lesson on Deltaic Vulnerability and Resilience:https://india.mongabay.com/2019/12/commentary-cyclone-bulbul-in-the-indian-sundarbans-another-lesson-on-deltaic-vulnerability-and-resilience/

< Back Ms Jane Chan Jane Chan is a Senior Fellow at, and Coordinator of, the Maritime Security Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. She holds an LLB from the University of Tasmania and an MSc. in International Relations from Nanyang Technological University. Her research areas include maritime security, law and order at sea, and regional institutions and confidence building measures. Publications Maritime Security Hubs Need to Step Up Cooperation: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/maritime-security-hubs-need-to-step-up-cooperationn

Volume 2, Issue 2 (July-Dec) 2024 ISSN: 3049-1800 26 March 2025 The Indo-Pacific Review is pleased to present its Capstone Special Edition. This special issue brings together the collaborative work of two research groups, offering fresh and critical perspectives on the evolving dynamics of the Indo-Pacific. This issue explores two distinct yet interrelated studies that challenge conventional understandings of the region: Large Ocean States (LOS) and Great Power Politics in the Indo-Pacific and Contemporary Readings of Colonial Borders of the Indo-Pacific. These studies offer new perspectives that are often overlooked in Indo-Pacific scholarship, which remains largely dominated by state-centric discourses on security and geopolitics. The first study, Large Ocean States (LOS) and Great Power Politics in the Indo-Pacific, is explored by Dr. Nansi Paulraj, Angshuman Choudhury, Dr. Anand V., and Dr. Sitakanta Mishra. Their research shifts the analytical lens from great power rivalries to the agency of Large Ocean States (LOS)—nations whose expansive maritime presence is often marginalized in regional discourse. By centering the perspectives of LOS, this issue highlights their role as norm-setters in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in reframing security narratives. The second study, Contemporary Readings of Colonial Borders of the Indo-Pacific, is examined by Dr. Pavithra Jayawardena, Dr. Vilashini Somiah, Dr. Kittipos Phuttivanich, and Dr. Ashik Bonofer. Their research critically reassesses how borders within the region are conceptualized beyond the nation-state framework. Traditional analyses often prioritize state-centric security and geopolitical contestations, whereas this issue foregrounds the lived experiences of communities and individuals navigating these borders. By engaging with transnationalism and cross-border interactions, their work examines how territorial demarcations are imagined, experienced, and contested at multiple levels. Article List Indo-Pacific Review Capstone Special Edition Download Article Large Ocean States (LOS) and Great Power Politics in the Indo-Pacific Dr Nansi Paulraj Angshuman Choudhury Dr Anand.V Dr Sitakanta Mishra Download Article The Historical Evolution of Oceania: From Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to Large Ocean States (LOS) in the Indo-Pacific Dr Nansi Paulraj Download Article How Large Ocean States Look at Security in the Indo-Pacific Angshuman Choudhury Download Article How Large Ocean States See China’s Rise in the Indo-Pacific Dr Anand V Download Article Looking and Acting Beyond East: India’s Tryst with the Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) Dr Sitakanta Mishra Download Article Contemporary Readings of Colonial Borders of the Indo-Pacific Dr. Pavithra Jayawardena Dr. Vilashini Somiah Dr Kittipos Phuttivanich Dr Ashik Bonofer Download Article Borders of the Indo-Pacific: Sri Lankan Forced and Voluntary Migrants Dr Pavithra Jayawadena Download Article Unmoored Boundaries: Bajau Laut and Mobility Perspectives in Maritime Southeast Asia Dr Vilashini Somiah Download Article Myth and Reality of New Chinese Migration to Thailand: A Case Study for the Indo-Pacific Community Dr Kittipos Phuttivanich Download Article Transnationalism and Mobile Communities in the IndoPacific: Designing Stronger Policies Dr Ashik J Bonofer Download Article

< Back Mr Satria Rizaldi Alchatib Satria Rizaldi Alchatib is a University Lecturer and Head of Diplomacy and International Cooperation Laboratory at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Slamet Riyadi. He obtained his Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratic Governance from the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Satria was previously a full-fledged SDG’s young leader and activist for a number of award-winning organizations including the ASEAN Youth Leaders Association and World Youth Alliance. He has represented Indonesia in various key-opinion forums including the 12th International Solidarity Forum at the United Nations and the 50th Commemoration of Asian African Cooperation in Bandung. His research interests lie in maritime security and humanitarian intervention in ASEAN and the broader Indo-Pacific region. ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9959-9951 Publications

< Back Dr Shaheli Das Shaheli Das is presently serving as a Senior Research Officer (Foreign Policy) at the Australian High Commission, New Delhi. She holds an MPhil (with a specialisation on China) from the University of Delhi. She has formerly worked a Strategic Sector Cooperation Program Officer in the Political & Economic Section at the Royal Danish Embassy, New Delhi. She has also held the posts of Visiting Fellow at the Fudan Development Institute, Junior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, and Research Associate at the Centre for Air Power Studies. Publications Does China Really Want a ‘Just and Fair’ International Order?: https://thediplomat.com/2016/10/does-china-really-want-a-just-and-fair-international-order/ Why is China escalating tensions in the East China Sea?: https://www.policyforum.net/china-escalating-tensions-east-china-sea/ Is Latin America of Strategic Importance to China?: https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/is-latin-america-of-strategic-importance-to-china/