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Modern Diplomacy in Practice pp 81–98Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

India

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Abstract

Established in 1947, the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) has quickly evolved from a fledgling service into one aspiring to regional and global leadership. Considered among the most prestigious government careers in India, the IFS takes pride in its commitment to promoting peaceful conflict resolution, economic freedom, and democratic values. The IFS offers little in the way of mid-career training; it relies on an informal culture of personal mentorship. Many challenges remain for the IFS, including increasing the diversity of the workforce, managing often severe budget constraints, and promoting work-life balance for officers. The most pressing concern for the IFS, however, is insufficient diplomatic and support staff.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    J.N. Dixit, Indian Foreign Service: History and Challenge (New Delhi: Konark Publishers, 2005); Kishan S. Rana, Asian Diplomacy: The Foreign Ministries of China, India, Japan, Singapore and Thailand (Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 2007).

  2. 2.

    Dixit, Indian Foreign Service, 9.

  3. 3.

    Ibid., 29.

  4. 4.

    Ibid., 13; Stephen Cohen, India: Emerging Power (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2001), 84–89.

  5. 5.

    Cohen, India: Emerging Power, 72.

  6. 6.

    Rana, Asian Diplomacy, 48–50.

  7. 7.

    Dixit, Indian Foreign Service, 10.

  8. 8.

    Ibid., 14.

  9. 9.

    Cohen, India: Emerging Power, 87.

  10. 10.

    Mike Dyer, “Strategic Culture, National Strategy, and Policymaking in the Asia-Pacific: An Interview with Ashley J. Tellis,” The National Bureau of Asian Research, published October 27, 2016, https://www.nbr.org/publication/strategic-culture-national-strategy-and-policymaking-in-the-asia-pacific/. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  11. 11.

    Cohen, India: Emerging Power, 72.

  12. 12.

    “Indian Foreign Service”, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, April 22, 2015, http://www.mea.gov.in/indian-foreign-service.htm. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  13. 13.

    “If Shashi Tharoor’s panel has its way, India’s diplomatic corps could grow in quality and quantity,” FirstPost.com , August 3, 2016, http://www.firstpost.com/world/india-is-strapped-for-diplomats-but-if-shashi-tharoors-panel-has-its-way-you-could-become-one-2931362.html. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  14. 14.

    “Training Programs: Officer Trainees,” Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, June 10, 2016, https://meafsi.gov.in/?5137?000. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  15. 15.

    Rana, Asian Diplomacy, 57.

  16. 16.

    Ibid.

  17. 17.

    Ibid., 53, “India Military Expenditure % of GDP,” World Bank, 2016, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?end=2015&locations=IN&start=1988&view=chart. Accessed March 25, 2019; “Union Budget at a Glance 2016–2017,” Ministry of Finance, Government of India, no date, https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/glance.asp. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  18. 18.

    Jawaharlal Nehru, Glimpses of World History (London: Penguin Books, 1942), 94.

  19. 19.

    “Batch Profile,” Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, http://www.lbsnaa.gov.in/batches, Accessed March 25, 2019; “Training Programs: Officer Trainees,” Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, June 10, 2016, https://meafsi.gov.in/?5137?000. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  20. 20.

    “Things you must know before you start preparing for UPSC civil services exam,” India Today, June 2, 2016. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/upsc-civil-services-exam/1/683251.html. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  21. 21.

    “Question Papers,” Union Public Service Commission, Government of India, September 15, 2016, http://www.upsc.gov.in/examinations/question-papers. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  22. 22.

    “Number of Candidates in Civil Services Exam,” UPSC Syllabus, 2019, https://www.upscsyllabus.in/articles/number-of-candidates-in-upsc-scra-exam. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  23. 23.

    From interviews with IFS officers.

  24. 24.

    Ibid.

  25. 25.

    Rana, Asian Diplomacy, 52–53.

  26. 26.

    Ibid.

  27. 27.

    Rana, Asian Diplomacy, 58.

  28. 28.

    “Batch Profile FC93,” Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, 2018, http://www.lbsnaa.gov.in/course/batch_profile.php?cid=97. Accessed March 25, 2019; Siran Mukerji, Indian Foreign Service: Structure, Role, and Performance (Jaipur: Aalekh Publishers, 2000), 123.

  29. 29.

    “Indian Foreign Service”, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, April 22, 2015, http://www.mea.gov.in/indian-foreign-service.htm. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  30. 30.

    “Foundation Course,” Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, 2019, http://www.lbsnaa.gov.in/course_listing.php?id=25. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  31. 31.

    Mukerji, Indian Foreign Service, 126.

  32. 32.

    “Batch Profile FC93.”

  33. 33.

    From interviews with IFS Officers.

  34. 34.

    Mukerji, Indian Foreign Service, 95.

  35. 35.

    “Photo Features,” Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, May 1, 2016, https://www.mea.gov.in/photo-features-all.htm. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  36. 36.

    Mukerji, Indian Foreign Service, 136.

  37. 37.

    From interviews with IFS Officers.

  38. 38.

    “Training Programs: Officer Trainees.

  39. 39.

    From interviews with IFS Officers.

  40. 40.

    Ibid.

  41. 41.

    “Indian Foreign Service”, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, April 22, 2015, http://www.mea.gov.in/indian-foreign-service.htm. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  42. 42.

    Mukerji, Indian Foreign Service, 185.

  43. 43.

    “MEA Training Framework 2013,” Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, February 4, 2015, https://meafsi.gov.in/?3558?000. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  44. 44.

    From interviews with IFS Officers.

  45. 45.

    Mukerji, Indian Foreign Service, 211.

  46. 46.

    Dixit, Indian Foreign Service, Chapter 2.

  47. 47.

    Biographical information found on Embassy websites for Indian Missions.

  48. 48.

    T.P. Sreenivasan, “Foreign Service Must Remain Elitist,” Hindu, June 25, 2015, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/foreign-service-must-remain-elitist/article7350788.ece. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  49. 49.

    Mani Shankar Aiyar, A Time of Transition: Rajiv Gandhi to the 21st Century (New Delhi: Penguin, 2009), 258–261.

  50. 50.

    Strobe Talbot, Engaging India: Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb (Washington, DC: Brookings Institute Press, 2004), 228–230.

  51. 51.

    Aiyar, Time of Transition, 258–261.

  52. 52.

    “PM Modi hails Indian diaspora, says they are role models for other communities,” Economic Times, January 2017, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/pm-modi-hails-indian-diaspora-says-they-are-role-models-for-other-communities/articleshow/56400651.cms. Accessed March 25, 2019.

  53. 53.

    “Indian Diplomacy,” Ministry of External Affairs, since July 2010, https://twitter.com/IndianDiplomacy?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%.5Eauthor. Accessed March 25, 2019.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank the diplomats and scholars who were consulted in researching and writing this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 2018 Master of Arts Degrees, Global Policy Studies and Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Leena Warsi

  2. 2018 Master of Arts Degrees, Global Policy Studies and Asian Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Joshua Orme

  3. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Jeremi Suri

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  1. Leena Warsi
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  2. Joshua Orme
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Correspondence to Jeremi Suri .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Robert Hutchings

  2. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Jeremi Suri

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Warsi, L., Orme, J., Suri, J. (2020). India. In: Hutchings, R., Suri, J. (eds) Modern Diplomacy in Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26933-3_5

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