{"podcast":{"title":"The IR thinker","slug":"the-ir-thinker-6691770","podcast_index_feed_id":6691770,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/655776911a7d7e0012cbc914","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/irthinker","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1700230788592-f97a89c769205262be6d5629fc306022.jpeg","author":"Martin Zubko","episode_count":122,"summary":"The IR thinker features in-depth interviews with leading experts in international relations. The IR thinker is an independent, non-partisan and non-aligned platform. It hosts a wide range of perspectives on international relations but does not endorse any political party, government or ideological position. Since its first episode in 2023, The IR thinker has produced more than 100 episodes as a pro bono initiative established by Martin Zubko, an international relations scholar and lecturer. Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770"},"episode":{"title":"India's Diplomacy - Vineet Thakur | 2025 Episode 30","slug":"india-s-diplomacy-vineet-thakur-2025-episode-30","published_at":"2025-12-08T19:20:27+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/india-s-diplomacy-vineet-thakur-2025-episode-30","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770","url":"https://www.irthinker.com/india-diplomacy-vineet-thakur","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/655776911a7d7e0012cbc914/e/693724fbfe31b2ca09e09af7/media.mp3","summary":"In this episode, Vineet Thakur unpacks the historical and intellectual foundations of Indian diplomacy. We discuss classical strategic traditions, civilisational and colonial legacies, caste and elite networks in diplomatic culture, non-alignment and strategic autonomy, neighbourhood diplomacy, and India’s contemporary practice of multi-alignment amid shifting great-power rivalries. Vineet Thakur Vineet Thakur is a University Lecturer in International Relations at the Institute for History, Leiden University. He received his doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in 2014 and has held academic positions and fellowships across India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. His professional experience includes teaching appointments at Ambedkar University Delhi, the University of Johannesburg, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, following which he joined Leiden University in 2017. He has been a fellow at the University of Cambridge, the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, and Rhodes University. His research is situated in postcolonial international relations, with a particular focus on the politics of knowledge, disciplinary hierarchies, and the global intellectual history of International Relations, especially in the Indian context. Publications: V.S. Srinivasa Sastri: A Liberal Life India’s First Diplomat: V.S. Srinivasa Sastri and the Making of Liberal Internationalism Postscripts on Independence: Foreign Policy Discourses in India and South Africa Content 00:00 – Introduction and Framing of India’s Diplomatic Trajectories 02:03 – Mandala Theory and Kautilya’s Arthashastra as Lenses for Contemporary Regional Policy 05:10 – Intellectual and Historical Inspirations Behind India’s Diplomatic Traditions 06:32 – Civilisational State Narratives…","meta_description":"In this episode, Vineet Thakur unpacks the historical and intellectual foundations of Indian diplomacy. We discuss classical strategic traditions, civilis…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3638,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ir-thinker-6691770/episodes/india-s-diplomacy-vineet-thakur-2025-episode-30/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/india-s-diplomacy-vineet-thakur-2025-episode-30.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}