External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s leadership has helped redefine India’s influence, positioning the country as a key player in global discussions on security, trade, and multilateral collaboration.
By Nichola Marie
Over the span of a few days in March 2025, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar — or S Jaishankar, as he is better known — wrapped his UK visit after ‘injecting fresh momentum’ into a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries; signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Armenia for cooperation in the field of medical products regulation; and strengthened bilateral ties with Ireland, setting the stage for economic cooperation. Alongside, he has been calming any panic over US President Donald Trump’s fresh moves, pointing out that several priorities of Trump and his administration were promising for India. (Don’t forget, he had occupied a prime front-row seat at Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, where he had also held talks with US officials and joined the Quad meeting.) And, as usual, he has not fought shy of stating bluntly, “If Pakistan vacates PoK, the Kashmir issue will be ‘solved’.”
All in a couple of days’ work for Jaishankar, a highly skilled diplomat with deep expertise in international relations. Known widely for his calm demeanor and sharp intellect, he is regularly praised for his strategic approach to foreign policy and his ability to represent India on the global stage with dignity and confidence. Having drawn praise from personalities as diverse as ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan, top US diplomats, the UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and even senior opposition Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, it’s obvious that the man is doing something resoundingly right!
…No easy task, given the country’s foreign policy which does not fit into any single geopolitical camp. If India is a member of the Quad security partnership with the US, Australia and Japan, it also participates in the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and has resisted Western pressure to condemn and sanction long-time military supplier Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Navigating the tricky waters with aplomb, Jaishankar is out there doing his job and doing it well, whether through his skillful diplomacy, tough negotiating tactics or strategic vision.
The ‘Crisis Manager’
Known to be PM Modi’s go-to person in times of crisis, since his appointment as India’s External Affairs Minister in 2019, Jaishankar has worked on prioritising India’s relationship with key partners such as the US and Japan. Through initiatives such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the US, Japan, and Australia, he has worked on expanding India’s global influence. He came in for particular attention for the part he played in the peaceful resolution of the Doklam border dispute with China, which seemed to be at risk of escalating into a larger military confrontation. He has been at the forefront of India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine war where India condemns the violence but continues buying oil from Russia. Besides foreign policy, he has also focused on issues such as climate change, global health, and India’s efforts to provide vaccines to developing countries. More importantly, on several international platforms, he has made it clear that India won’t give in to any pressure as it serves the interests of its people first. His leadership and expertise will be relied on increasingly in an international landscape that grows progressively complex as he helps shape India’s foreign policy and global standing.
How it All Began
After joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1977, Jaishankar went on to hold key roles during his career including stints as High Commissioner to Singapore, and Ambassador to China and the United States. He also played a significant role in negotiating the IndoUS civilian nuclear agreement. He served as India’s Foreign Secretary from January 2015 to January 2018. Apparently having enjoyed the PM’s trust during his term in South Block, he also had a good working relationship with Sushma Swaraj, whose post he was eventually offered just 16 months after retiring as Head of the Indian Foreign Service. A highlyregarded diplomat, Jaishankar is the first former Foreign Secretary to be given political control of the External Affairs Ministry. He is probably also the first bureaucrat to become a cabinet minister so soon after retirement. His appointment to helm the Foreign Ministry had been largely hailed as an excellent choice. It was seen as India falling in with global trends of the Foreign Minister having strong domain knowledge from day one. Former Ambassador Gurjit Singh, who had served with Jaishankar in the Indian High Commission in Colombo, called his appointment, “A bright, out-of-the-box idea, like Jaishankar himself brings to the table,” adding, “we need nimblefooted diplomacy and we have the most agile diplomat as our minister.”
Making An Impact
The 1955-born S Jaishankar is the son of K Subrahmanyam, a prominent international strategic affairs analyst, journalist and former Indian civil servant, who is considered the father of modern strategic thought in India. Educated at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jaishankar had been part of the ‘Free Thinkers’. Not affiliated with any political party, it was a forum to debate different ideologies.
As MEA’s Joint Secretary for the Americas, he had been involved in the intensive negotiations for the India-US nuclear deal during the UPA government. After leading the Indian negotiating team for the Separation Plan and the 123 Agreement, he was posted as India’s High Commissioner to Singapore in 2007. From there, he was appointed Ambassador to China, during which time key bilateral events included the suspension of military contacts over China’s refusal to give a visa to the Northern Command Chief and the stand-off at Daulat Beg Oldi. Appointed Ambassador to the United States, he arrived at a time when relations were low, but ended his tenure with the historic visit of President Barack Obama as the first-ever chief guest from the US to the Indian Republic Day parade in January 2015. He had also won the admiration of PM Modi on the latter’s high-profile trip to the US in 2014. By then, there was no doubt of him having left his mark.
Walking The Talk
Even as some believe Jaishankar’s job is less the managing of external relations, than it is managing external public relations, he cannot be faulted for showing the world a mirror, unpleasant as the reflection may be. Here are a few instances…
When asked about India’s downgrading by two of the leading democracy rating agencies – the US-based NGO Freedom House and Sweden-based Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute (2021), he was scathing in his response: “It is hypocrisy. We have a set of self-appointed custodians of the world who find it very difficult to stomach that somebody in India is not looking for their approval, is not willing to play the game they want to play. So they invent their rules, their parameters, pass their judgements and make it look as if it is some kind of global exercise.”
Defending India’s growing energy imports from Russia (2023), he said Europe had taken six times as much energy from Russia during the same period. India, with a per capita income of US$2,000, is not in a position to pay high prices for oil at a time when European states were diverting supplies from the Middle East and putting pressure on the global oil markets, he pointed out. “If the European political leadership would like to soften the impact on their population, I think it’s a privilege they should extend to other political leaderships as well,” he said.
Defending his characterisation of Pakistan as the “epicentre of terrorism,” he said, “I could use much harsher words than epicentre. Considering what has been happening to us, I think epicentre is a very diplomatic word because this is a country which has attacked the Parliament of India some years ago [and] the city of Mumbai… which every day sends terrorists across the border.”
Addressing Indo-China issues at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022, he made it clear that “unless there is peace and tranquillity in the border areas… unless there is an observance of agreements and no unilateral attempt to change status quo… the situation cannot be, and is not, normal.”
Speaking at the UNSC Open Debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace & Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’ (2022), he pitched for New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System or NORMS to reflect present-day geo-political realities. He said: “We not only need to increase stakeholdership but also enhance the effectiveness and credibility of multilateralism in the eyes of the international community and in the eyes of global public opinion. If this is to happen, member states from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Small Island Developing States should have credible and continuing representation in the Security Council. Decisions about their future can no longer be taken without their participation.”
Referring to unresolved border issues at the Ram Nath Goenka lecture (2019), he said: “Taking risks is inherent to the realisation of ambitions. A nation that has the aspiration to become a leading power someday cannot continue with unsettled borders, an un-integrated region and underexploited opportunities.”
In an interview with an Austrian publication, he bravely spoke about the tectonic shift in the world power structure. Pointing out that the world order is still Western, he said it needs to be replaced by a world of “multialignment” where countries will choose their own “particular policies and preferences and interests.”
All this and a sense of humour too… This is the man who smartly sidestepped a loaded question during an interview last year. Asked if he would prefer to have dinner with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, Jaishankar smiled, “I think this is Navratri, I am fasting!” Way to go, Mr Jaishankar!
Fast Facts
• Party: Bharatiya Janata Party
• Father: (Late) Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam
• Mother: Sulochana Subrahmanyam
• Educational Qualifications: B.Sc., M.A. (Political Science), M.Phil., Ph.D. (International Relations) Educated at: University of Delhi, Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• Countries Visited: Singapore, UK, Japan, USA, China, UAE, and Fiji, among others.
• Family Matters: S Jaishankar had reportedly met his first wife Shobha while in university at JNU. They had two children – Dhruva and Medha. Shobha passed away due to cancer. On a posting from 1996 to 2000, he met Kyoko Somekawa. They later married. They have one child – Arjun.
