In the News: Jaishankar on launching “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”

December 16, 2024

“Vishwa Shastra: India and the World” was reviewed by Sreemoy Talukdar of Firstpost:

There are several themes that run through the book as it creates a narrative framework. Chief among those is the theme of timing. That India is in a geopolitical sweet spot has been severally commented. Jaishankar goes down to explaining in painstaking detail the steps that led us through this spot – those decades constituting some of the most challenging times for Indian leaders and policymakers as the country was hemmed in from all sides and caught between rival blocs during the Cold War’s great power competition.

Read the full review here.


December 15, 2024

“Vishwa Shastra: India and the World” was reviewed by Sridhar Krishnaswami of The Hindu Business Line:

Written for a diverse audience — for a student of social science, civil services aspirant or even a seasoned diplomat — Jaishankar moves away from the polemical to being descriptive and in the process debunking the notion that India somehow lacked a strategic culture or even a capacity for strategic thought. Putting it differently, India has certainly the capacity to look at the return of the second Trump administration not just in terms of the H1B, for New Delhi well understands that issues of immigration are domestic domains of nation states; rather the current dispensation is more interested in the implications for Europe, the Indo-Pacific and issues of bilateral and multilateral trade. India has the strategic wherewithal to think and act to protect its national interests, objectives and priorities.

Read the full review here.

December 14, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was mentioned in an article by Swastik Sharma of The New Indian on his Dec. 6 visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University where he gave a talk about his first book, “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”:

The event underscored JNU’s pivotal role as a hub for intellectual engagement on international studies. Faculty members noted the relevance of Dhruva’s work in the context of India’s G20 presidency and its increasing prominence in global decision-making forums.

Dhruva’s book has been well-received in academic and policy circles for its nuanced perspectives on India’s foreign policy trajectory. His interaction at JNU reflects the growing interest in bridging academic discourse with real-world policy challenges, reinforcing the importance of informed debate in shaping India’s global narrative.

Read about the visit here.


December 12, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was quoted in an article by Keshav Padmanabhan of ThePrint on the release of his first book, “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”:

“It aims to be a jump-off point for UPSC aspirants or for foreign diplomats coming to India and needing to understand the country,” said Jaishankar, the Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) America, during the near–houseful event.

Read the full article here.

December 11, 2024

ThePrint published an excerpt of “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”, the first book from Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America:

Finally, there is an opportunity for India to take a bigger leadership role at two legacy institutions: the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Commonwealth. Although their purpose and utility are increasingly in question, India now presents the largest economy in both organizations. This presents it with an opportunity to repurpose these groupings to make them more relevant to the present day.

Read the full excerpt here.

December 6, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was mentioned in an article by The Indian Express on the release of his first book, “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”:

Usually among the most sought-after guests in a room, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made his presence felt as an unassuming audience member at the launch of Dhruva Jaishankar’s book on Thursday evening in New Delhi. Among the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave the venue, the Union Minister cheered for the first book of his son, who helms foreign policy think tank Observer Research Foundation’s US arm.  Unlike the usual format, the book launch had no chief guest or any presence from the ruling dispensation.

Read the full article here.

December 6, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was interviewed by CNN-News18 on the release of his first book, “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”.

December 4, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was mentioned in ThePrint’s Intellectuals List:

In 2018, ThePrint’s list of India’s leading intellectuals captured the zeitgeist like nothing else. Public conversation about it lasted for weeks.

This year, we bring you a new list—the intellectuals to watch out for in the next decade.

ThePrint formed a jury panel of field experts to nominate a list of thinkers in the fields of geostrategic affairs, economy, social science, and political thought. Members of the jury decided the names individually and in complete secrecy.

For the geostrategic affairs list, jury members identified the following Indians who are thinking, speaking, and writing in transformative ways.

Read the full list here.

November 28, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was featured in an article by Amrita Priya of Global Indian on the release of his first book, “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”:

Dhruva is now gearing up for the release of his first book, Vishwa Shastra, published by Penguin Random House India. The book provides a comprehensive exploration of India’s interactions with the world, blending historical insights with forward-looking strategies. Dhruva’s research on foreign policy, defence, security, and globalization, has appeared in several books, policy reports, and prominent publications, cementing his reputation as a thought leader.

Read the full feature here.

November 25, 2024

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, was interviewed by the Mero Tribune on the release of his first book, “Vishwa Shastra: India and the World”:

What are you currently working on?

It’s been a productive year. In addition to Vishwa Shastra, which I largely completed in April and May this year, I have co-edited a volume with one of my colleagues on the Global South’s perspectives on rebalancing globalization. I also chaired a task force of young China scholars from the Quad countries, whose report is also coming out now.

I hope to use next year to get this story abroad, where there’s growing interest in Indian perspectives on international affairs. I also came across so many interesting primary sources that perhaps an accompanying reader – of Indian thinkers and exponents of statecraft in their own words – might be useful.

Read the full article here.