Brahma Chellaney | |
|---|---|
 Chellaney in 2009 | |
| Born | (1962-01-18)18 January 1962 (age 63) |
| Alma mater | Hindu College, Delhi Delhi School of Economics Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Occupation(s) | Academic and public intellectual |
| Website | chellaney.net |
Brahma Chellaney (born 18 January 1962) is an Indiangeostrategist and columnist.[1][2]He is a professor of strategic studies at theCentre for Policy Research in New Delhi; a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin; and an affiliate with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London.He was a member of India's National Security Advisory Board and an author of its draft nuclear doctrine.[3] He is a regular columnist forProject Syndicate,[4] and writes for numerous other international publications.
Chellaney was born in New Delhi. After passing theSenior Cambridge examination atMount St. Mary's School, India, he did a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) fromHindu College, University of Delhi and aMaster of Arts from theDelhi School of Economics. He holds a PhD in international studies from theJawaharlal Nehru University.[5]
He is a Professor of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-basedCentre for Policy Research; a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow with theRobert Bosch Academy in Berlin; and a nonresident affiliate with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization atKing's College London.[6]In the mid-2000s, he was a member of the Indian government's Policy Advisory Group, which was chaired by the External Affairs Minister ofIndia.[7][8] Before that, he was an adviser to India’s National Security Council, serving as convener of the External Security Group of the National Security Advisory Board.[9]
Chellaney was described inThe New York Times in 1999 as "one of the independent experts who helped draft India's proposed nuclear doctrine".[10][3] The country's draft nuclear doctrine was publicly released in August 1999.[11] The institutions where he has held appointments includeHarvard University, the Norwegian Nobel Institute, theBrookings Institution, thePaul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at theJohns Hopkins University, and theAustralian National University.[12][13] Graham Tobin from the University of South Florida has as described Chellaney’s geopolitical analyses as astute and critical.[14]
Chellaney coined the termdebt-trap diplomacy to describe how the Chinese government leverages the debt burden of smaller countries for geopolitical ends.[15][16]He saw 'debt trap diplomacy' in China's handling of Sri Lanka's debt distress by taking over itsHambantota port on a long-term lease.[17]The thesis caught on and began to be used widely, becoming "something approaching conventional wisdom", especially in Washington DC.[18]Other scholars have disputed the assessment, and the "myth of debt trap", arguing that Chinese finance was not the source of Sri Lanka’s financial distress.[19][20][21]
Chellaney is the author of nine books.[5][22]
Two of his most recent books relate to the geopolitics of water resources. Another book, an international best-seller, focuses on how a fast-rising Asia has become the defining fulcrum of global geopolitical change.[6]
Chellaney was criticized by Chinese state-owned media outlet theGlobal Times for indirectly accusing China of having involvement in the death ofBipin Rawat. The Global Times described Chellaney as a "conspiracy theorist".[25][26]
Chellaney received the $20,000 Bernard Schwartz Award from the New York-basedAsia Society for his work,Water: Asia's New Battleground, published by Georgetown University Press. The award recognises outstanding contributions regarding contemporary Asian affairs and US-Asia relations.[27]
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