People
Kishan S Rana
Professor Emeritus, former Indian Ambassador, and a joint secretary to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Kishan S. Rana is Professor Emeritus, and a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation. He was awarded a BA (Hon) and MA in economics, St Stephens College Delhi. He was in the Indian Foreign Service (1960-95); and worked in China (1963-65, 1970-72). He was Ambassador and High Commissioner for Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius, and Germany; and consul general in San Francisco. He served on staff of PM Indira Gandhi (1981-82).
Amb. Rana is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi (book review editor, China Report); an Archives By-Fellow, Churchill College, Cambridge; a Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Centre, Washington DC; guest faculty at the Diplomatic Academy, Vienna; and Commonwealth Adviser, Namibia Foreign Ministry, 2000-01. He has lectured in about 20 countries to diplomats at foreign ministry training institutions, and at ambassador conferences in several countries.
He is the author of Inside Diplomacy (2000); Managing Corporate Culture (co-author, 2000); Bilateral Diplomacy(2002); The 21st Century Ambassador (2004); Asian Diplomacy (2007); Diplomacy of the 21st Century (2011); India’s North-East States, the BCIM Forum and Regional Integration, (co-author, 2012); The Contemporary Embassy (2013); and Diplomacy at the Cutting Edge (2015). He is co-editor of Foreign Ministries (2007); and Economic Diplomacy(2011). The two books were translated into Chinese; some used as textbooks at several universities. He has written about 100 articles for academic journals and newspapers.
Related events
Diplomatic reporting in the Internet era after WikiLeaks
Diplomatic reporting in the Internet era post-WikiLeaks discussed at Geneva venue with panelists including Ambassadors and media representatives, moderated by experts from DiploFoundation. Online participation option ...
May 2013 online diplomacy courses
In May 2013, online diplomacy courses featuring Economic Diplomacy, Bilateral Diplomacy, E-Diplomacy, and Diplomacy of Small States are offered. Designed for diplomats and international relations professionals, these ...
[Webinar] Bilateral Summit Diplomacy: Working for Success
The webinar explores essential components of productive bilateral summits, emphasizing a continual relationship-building process. It discusses the importance of preparation, content, and follow-up stages, as well as i...
[Webinar] Promotion methods in foreign ministries - time for reform?
Ambassador Kishan S. Rana discusses reforming promotion methods in foreign ministries in a DiploFoundation webinar. He suggests shifting to performance-based promotions, learning from global best practices, and emphas...
Asia Cyber Diplomacy Workshop
The Asia Cyber Diplomacy Workshop in Bangkok on August 28-29, 2015, addresses cyber challenges for diplomats amid the evolving digital landscape. The event focuses on developing diplomatic expertise in Internet-relate...
WebDebate: Is the diplomatic service still needed?
The relevance and future of diplomacy, in a world of connectivity, will be discussed by Ambassador Kishan S. Rana and Dr Jovan Kurbalija on April 5th. Despite technological advancements, diplomacy remains crucial but ...
Delhi Digital Diplomacy Day
The Delhi Digital Diplomacy Day discussed the Internet's influence on diplomacy, touching on topics like the environment of diplomatic activities, new agenda items (such as Internet governance), and the use of digital...
[WebDebate] A New Bilateralism in a Changing World
The WebDebate discussed the relevance of bilateral diplomacy in a world increasingly skeptical of multilateral institutions and prone to isolationism. Key issues like climate change and disarmament remain global chall...
Public diplomacy lecture at the Serbian MFA
DiploFoundation will be presenting a lecture on Public Diplomacy on 2 March at the Serbian MFA as part of a program to enhance strategic communication. The lecture will delve into topics like digital diplomacy, social...
[WebDebate] Can we teach and learn negotiation skills online?
The text discusses the challenges and opportunities of teaching and learning negotiation skills online, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience and personal contact in negotiation success. It explores how on...
Effective online learning: Opportunities, limits, and lessons-learned
The text discusses the shift to online learning in higher education due to COVID-19, emphasizing the need for effective online learning strategies. a webinar by DiploFoundation explores this topic, emphasizing differe...
Harnessing the Power of Culture in Mediation, Conflict Prevention, and Resolution – Virtual conference
A virtual conference on harnessing culture in mediation, conflict prevention, and resolution is scheduled for 17-18 January 2021. Organized by Conflux Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Mediation, China Foreign Aff...
The recent climate negotiations: A perspective from the Global South [WebDebate #52]
The text discusses the urgency of addressing climate change, particularly emphasizing the need for global solutions to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change. The focus is on the recent climate negotiatio...
Book launch: 'Churchill and India: Manipulation or Betrayal?' (Kishan S. Rana)
Amb. Kishan S. Rana will discuss his book 'Churchill and India: Manipulation or Betrayal?' via Zoom on December 7th. The book delves into the intricate relationship between Winston Churchill and India during the later...
Related blogs
Why bilateral diplomacy? Is it relevant in an age of multilateral activity and global conferences?
The text discusses the relevance of bilateral diplomacy in an era dominated by multilateral activities and global conferences, emphasizing its importance in engaging with individual non-member countries and forging re...
Diaspora issues in international affairs
Migration is a prominent aspect of international affairs, impacting destination, origin, and transit countries. This influx of people necessitates enhanced consular services to deal with protection of citizens and pro...
Cultural diplomacy and Euro-Asian encounter
Euro-Asian cultural diplomacy took place at the Spanish Ambassador's residence in New Delhi, where Flamenco and Langa musicians from Rajasthan united in a musical performance. The event signifies a collaboration betwe...
The VUCA world and diplomacy
The VUCA world brings about disruption and challenges diplomacy. Embracing unpredictability and complexity is crucial to navigate the shifting landscape. Technology, involving both positive and negative aspects, impac...
The Glasgow environment summit: A new paradigm?
The text discusses the global environment summit in Glasgow, highlighting powerful messages from a friendly dinosaur and Greta Thunberg. It emphasizes the urgent need for action to combat climate change, particularly ...
Why should diplomatic academies shift to online learning?
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards online learning, urging diplomatic academies to embrace innovation. While traditional methods have their merits, online teaching offers benefits such as flexibil...
Minilateralism: A Trend in Regional Diplomacy
The text discusses minilateralism as a trend in regional diplomacy, where small clusters of states work together based on common interests to achieve specific objectives. Examples include the Quad (Australia, India, J...
A new non-alignment?
Kishan Rana reflects on the latest article by the Economist on a new non-alignment....
Gender equality in diplomacy: Chinese and other foreign ministries
We examine gender equality in diplomacy, focusing on Chinese and other foreign ministries, to understand the global landscape and propose strategies for progress. This analysis reveals significant disparities, urging ...
Related resources
Asian Diplomacy: The Foreign Ministries of China, India, Japan, Singapore and Thailand
Based on eight years of research and interviews with over 160 professional diplomats and others, this book offers a range of information on the structures, operation and the working style of the foreign ministries of ...
04 Aug, 2007
Foreign Ministries: Managing Diplomatic Networks and Optimizing Value
This is a collection of papers presented at the 2006 Conference on Foreign Ministries hosted by DiploFoundation in May 2006, in Geneva. The overarching theme is the adaptation and reform that these ministries have und...
03 Aug, 2007
Bilateral Diplomacy
Bilateral Diplomacy is the first of the DiploHandbooks, a new series on practical diplomacy. The book breaks new ground in the role ascribed to bilateral diplomacy, and its importance in international affairs today. I...
19 Apr, 2007
Diplomacy at the Cutting Edge
I started writing a memoire in 1998, but on a long train journey in Germany (Stuttgart to Essen), accompanied by my wonderful wife Mimi, a thought came that it might be much more interesting to write about how the Ind...
12 Aug, 2016
Language, signaling and diplomacy
Part of Language and Diplomacy (2001): Ambassador Kishan Rana introduces the dimension of diplomatic signalling. Beginning with a reference to the Bhagwad Gita, one of the sacred texts of the Hindus, Rana outlines the...
10 Aug, 2001
Diplomatic culture and its domestic context
Is there a specific, distinctive diplomatic culture? Given the fact that the conduct of diplomacy is regulated by international law and by custom, and since the structures through which states conduct their external r...
13 Aug, 2004
Feedback in Diplomatic Reporting
Extracts from The 21st Century Ambassador, by Ambassador Kishan Rana (DiploFoundation, 2005) – Chapter 3: "On Feedback in Diplomatic Reporting"....
26 Aug, 2011
Diplomatic Education
Diplomatic Education’ was published as Chapter 11 in: An Anthology Celebrating the Twentieth Anniversary of the Higher Colleges of Technology, ed. Tayeb A Kamali, (HCT Press, UAE, 2007)....
10 Aug, 2007
Persuasion, trust, and personal credibility
Ambassador Kishan Rana indicates the cultivation of relations and the credibility of diplomats as the basis for persuasion in diplomacy. He provides an initial taxonomy of the type of relations that diplomats should c...
10 Aug, 2012
Building relations through multi-dialogue formats: Trends in bilateral diplomacy
The text discusses the importance of building relationships through various dialogue formats in bilateral diplomacy....
03 Nov, 2011
India's diaspora diplomacy
India emphasizes the importance of its diaspora in expanding its global influence through diaspora diplomacy, focusing on enhancing connections with people of Indian origin worldwide....
07 Aug, 2009
Singapore's Diplomacy: Vulnerability into Strength
Singapore is a practitioner of focused, innovative diplomacy, constantly in search of the political space for itself that would overcome its sense of vulnerability resulting from its geopolitical location....
11 Aug, 2006
The Diplomacy of Small States
The text discusses the unique diplomatic strategies employed by small states to navigate international relations successfully....
17 Aug, 2007
Resetting India's public diplomacy
The text explores the concept of resetting India's public diplomacy, offering insights and recommendations for enhancing India's global engagement and soft power projection in the contemporary geopolitical landscape....
18 Aug, 2011
Performance Management in Foreign Ministries: Corporate Techniques in the Diplomatic Service
The text discusses the implementation of corporate performance management techniques within foreign ministries to improve efficiency and effectiveness in diplomatic services....
05 Aug, 2004
The Contemporary Embassy: Paths to Diplomatic Excellence
The Contemporary Embassy: Paths to Diplomatic Excellence" explores the evolving role of embassies in modern diplomacy, focusing on the diverse strategies and practices that contribute to diplomatic success....
30 Aug, 2013
Will Shashi Tharoor’s Recommendations Reform the MEA for the Better?
The text is about Shashi Tharoor's proposed reforms for India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the impact it could have....
24 Aug, 2017
Economic Diplomacy: India's Experience
The book "Economic Diplomacy: India's Experience" edited by Kishan Rana and Bipul Chatterjee, both experienced diplomats and economists, explores various aspects of India's economic diplomacy. It delves into topics li...
13 Aug, 2011
Bilateral Diplomacy: A Practitioner Perspective (Briefing Paper #15)
The text outlines the evolution and significance of bilateral diplomacy as the foundation of international relations, detailing its historical roots, key tasks defined by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,...
04 Aug, 2020
Promotion Methods in Foreign Ministries (Briefing Paper #4)
Ambassador Rana looks at promotion methods in foreign ministries around the world....
18 Aug, 2017
Diplo: Effective and inclusive diplomacy
Diplo is a non-profit foundation established by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. Diplo works to increase the role of small and developing states, and to improve global governance and international policy development.
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