Ruchita Beri is a Senior Research Associate and Centre Coordinator, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and United Nations Centre at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. She researches on international relations, political economy and security of Sub-Saharan Africa, India–Africa relations and Emerging Powers in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. She is currently the President of the African Studies Association of India, a member of the Africa Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and serves on the Executive Board of the Forum for Indian Development Cooperation (FIDC). She was also a member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) Task Force on Blue Economy.
Ms. Beri has participated in many international conferences and regularly lectures at several institutions in India, such as the National Defence College, Foreign Service Institute, Army War College and the Defence Services Staff College. She is the Editor of Africa Trends a quarterly magazine published by MP-IDSA and is a member of the Editorial Committee of the journal Africa Review published byBrill, the Editorial Board of Austral: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations published by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul or UFRGS), Brazil and is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Development Cooperation Review.
She has edited and co-edited several books including India and Africa: Common Security Challenges for the Next Decade (Pentagon Press, 2016), Food Governance in India: Rights, Security and Challenges in the global sphere (Routledge. 2022), India and Africa: Enhancing Mutual Engagement (Pentagon Press, 2013), Africa and Energy Security (Academic Foundation, 2009),and a monograph United Nations Security Council Reform: Perspectives and Prospects (IDSA, 2014). She has also published numerous articles and book chapters and is a regular contributor to broadcast media. She has an M.Phil in African Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi and an advanced diploma on Conflict Studies from the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden.
India–Africa Relations: Changing Horizons: Rajiv Bhatia, Routledge, New York
India’s partnership with Africa has come into the limelight in recent years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Address to the Ugandan parliament in 2018 reiterated that Africa is a high priority for India’s foreign policy. India-Africa Relations: Changing Horizons by Rajiv Bhatia is a welcome addition to the literature on India’s engagement with the African continent. In this volume, Bhatia has put to good use, the insights gained during his 37-year innings in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), particularly his term as India’s High Commissioner to Kenya, South Africa and Lesotho.
Egyptian President Visit to India Strengthens Partnership
India and Egypt elevated bilateral ties to that of a Strategic Partnership during the visit of President Abdel Fateh Al Sisi.
India’s Deployment of Women Peacekeepers Exemplary
Senior Research Associate, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms Ruchita Beri’s article ‘India’s Deployment of Women Peacekeepers Exemplary’ has been published in Financial Express on 06 January 2023.
This crucial step reflects India’s exemplary efforts towards mainstreaming gender in UN peacekeeping deployments and continuous support for the UN Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, says Ms Beri.
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IADD Reinvigorates India’s Defence Cooperation with African Countries
The second India–Africa Defence Dialogue at DefExpo 2022 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat has opened multiple pathways for defence cooperation between India and Africa.
Raksha Mantri’s Visit to Egypt: Significance for India–Africa Defence Cooperation
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh’s visit to Egypt will concretise India–Africa defence cooperation through training, capacity-building, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
India and UN Peacekeeping in Africa: An Assessment
Over the last seven decades, United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKOs) have helped several countries across the world to move away from the path of conflict. Africa has been a significant region for deployment of the United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, often known as ‘the blue helmets’. Out of the 12 ongoing UNPKOs, six are located in Africa.1 They include Western Sahara (MINURSO), Mali (MINUSMA), Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Central African Republic (MINUSCA), South Sudan (UNMISS) and Abyei (UNISFA), a disputed border area between Sudan and South Sudan.
FOCAC 2021: Key Takeaways
The latest FOCAC displayed China’s fresh efforts to enhance its soft power, as well as its engagement with the African countries. The meeting underlined some new areas of future cooperation and China’s commitment towards a win-win partnership with Africa.
Book Review: The Harambee Factor': African continent on mind [Author: Gurjit Singh]
Senior Research Associate, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Ms Ruchita Beri’s review of the book ‘’The Harambee Factor': African continent on mind’, by Gurjit Singh has been published in ‘The Tribune’ on 11 September 2022.
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Coup in Sudan
The recent coup in Sudan may have several ramifications for the country as well as for the stability in the region as it connects North Africa, Horn of Africa and the Sahel region. It may intensify the territorial disputes and escalate tensions between Sudan and its neighbouring countries and could also affect its trade ties with countries like India.
Rising Terrorism in Mozambique
The rising terrorism in Mozambique is a matter of concern both for the region and the international community. While the combined efforts of Mozambican armed forces and the troops from Rwanda and SADC countries have had some impact in curbing terrorism in the country, there is a need for a comprehensive policy to tackle the situation.