Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
मनोहर पर्रिकर रक्षा अध्ययन एवं विश्लेषण संस्थान

R. Vignesh

Dr. R. Vignesh is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Military Affairs, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). He joined the Institute in August 2021 and specialises in the geopolitical dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region, with a particular focus on their implications for India’s national security and the broader security architecture of South Asia.

He holds a Master of Arts and an M.Phil. in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras and has qualified the UGC-NET in the same discipline. In 2016, he was awarded the prestigious Research Fellowship by the History Division of the Ministry of Defence to pursue doctoral research on the topic: “New Gunboat Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific and its Implications for India’s Maritime Security.” He received his Ph.D. from the University of Madras in January 2022.

Before joining MP-IDSA, Dr. Vignesh served as a Lecturer in the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Madras. He has also contributed to national curriculum development as a lesson writer for the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), preparing educational content for senior secondary-level textbooks in Military History and Military Studies.

Selected Publications

  1. Sujan Chinoy, R. Vignesh, and Mayuri Banerjee (Eds.). India and the Emerging World Order. New Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2025.
  2. Vignesh (2025). “India: Navigating Great Power Competition.” In Sujan Chinoy, R. Vignesh, and Mayuri Banerjee (Eds.), India and the Emerging World Order (pp. 30–50). New Delhi: Pentagon Press.
  3. Vignesh (2024). “Maritime Theatre of the Ukraine War.” In Sujan Chinoy, Abhay Kumar Singh, and Vivek Chadha (Eds.), Ukraine War: Military Perspectives and Strategic Reflections (pp. 159–183). New Delhi: Pentagon Press.
  4. Vignesh (2023). “The Vanguard Brigade: An Appraisal of the United Nations’ Rapid Deployment Capabilities.” India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 79(3). Sage Publications.
  5. Vignesh (2023). “Colombo Port City and its Implications for India’s Maritime Security.” In S. Utham Kumar Jamdhagni (Ed.), India’s Blue Pulse: Preparing for a Maritime Future (pp. 126–136). New Delhi: Vij Books India.
  6. Vignesh (2022). “The China Factor in Africa’s Path to Liberal Democracy.” Africa Review, 15(1). Brill.
  7. Vignesh (2018). “Gunboat Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.” Journal of Indian Ocean Studies, 26(2).
  8. Vignesh (2018). “Gunboat Diplomacy in the South China Sea and its Implications for Regional Security.” In G. Jayachandra Reddy (Ed.), South China Sea: Emerging Scenario (pp. 195–209). New Delhi: Pentagon Press.
  9. Vignesh (2017). “Sustainable Development and Climate Change: A South Asian Perspective.” In S. Manivasakan (Ed.), India’s March Towards Development – 2030: Issues and Challenges (pp. 29–35). Chennai: University of Madras.
  10. Vignesh (2014). “Women in Armed Forces.” In S. Sakthi, A. Bhanu Gayatri Devi, S. Kalavathi, and A. Vennila (Eds.), Woman Power and Social Change (pp. 191–194). Chennai: Queen Mary’s College.
Associate Fellow

Publication

Two Decades of US-Taliban War in Afghanistan

In August 2021, the world was stunned by dramatic visuals of Afghan civilians running along and attempting to cling to a US Air Force (USAF) C-17 aircraft taking off from the Kabul airport in a desperate bid to flee from Afghanistan that had fallen to the Taliban. Just a month before this, in the first week of July 2021, the last of the American troops left Bagram Airfield, which had been the nerve centre of American-led military operations in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years.

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