S B A HONOU

Helping Australia Understand India Better

Prof. Rory Medcalf, AM

“India was seen then as a non-proliferation problem. I was one of the players to shift that view, to see India as a nonproliferation solution.”

To have made a significant impact to the transformation of relations between India and Australia, Prof. Medcalf regards as a career highlight.

Observers of the trends in the India-Australia relationship will be well acquainted with the work of international relations expert Prof. Rory Medcalf. His scholarly analyses of the association between the two countries – starting from India’s entry into the world’s nuclear club in the late 1990s to a fresh momentum now in a post-pandemic world – have not only enlightened, they have also pushed policy boundaries.

As a former journalist, diplomat and intelligence analyst, Prof. Medcalf’s work has involved much more than India of course, covering Ireland, China, Japan, the Indo Pacific, and nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. (It was the last of these that introduced him to India in a meaningful way.)

“I’ve always been interested in the world,” Prof. Medcalf told Indian Link. “I studied International Relations at university, and became interested in foreign policy when the peace process was on in Ireland in the early 1990s. It led to a fascination with conflict and conflict resolution. After I finished my studies, I joined the Australian Foreign Service.” His original interest in India came in 1998 with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while he worked in the Disarmament section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

“When I landed in India in 2000 as First Secretary at the Australian High Commission, it was a low point in the relationship. When I left in 2003, there was a significant bridging of relations, with a reset in defence, and the first ever strategic relationship conference I helped arrange in 2001, after which both countries (accepted each other) as neutral pillars of stability. I saw that transformation take place, and know that I played a role.”

By this time, Prof. Medcalf was seen as an expert in nuclear arms control, having contributed to two landmark reports following the 1996 Canberra Commission and the 1999 Tokyo Forum, with a third one to come in 2009, for the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. He regards this as a second career highlight.

Back in Australia, Prof. Medcalf took on a variety of roles in academia and with independent think tanks such as the Lowy Institute. “I brought my personal understanding of India to everything I did, and by 2007 I had helped Australia understand India’s role in a shifting world.”

His work began to play a significant role in formal diplomacy.

What is his assessment of the state of the bilateral relationship today?

“The relationship is at its strongest point ever. The challenge though, is to manage expectations. The relationship will continue to flourish, but there could be bumps and interruptions on which they’ll