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{
  "authors": [
    "Constantino Xavier"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie India"
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  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie India",
  "programAffiliation": "SAP",
  "programs": [
    "South Asia"
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    "South Asia",
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    "Foreign Policy",
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Source: Getty

Other
Carnegie India

Safe Homecoming

To ensure the safety of Indians abroad, the Indian armed forces will have to develop specific doctrines, procedures and capabilities to deploy expeditionary forces in coordination with civilian authorities.

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By Constantino Xavier
Published on May 8, 2017
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South Asia

The South Asia Program informs policy debates relating to the region’s security, economy, and political development. From strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific to India’s internal dynamics and U.S. engagement with the region, the program offers in-depth, rigorous research and analysis on South Asia’s most critical challenges.

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Source: Force

Over the last few decades, the Indian government conducted dozens of emergency operations to protect and evacuate its distressed citizens abroad. When the lives and assets of overseas Indians are threatened due to war, natural calamities or discriminatory policies, New Delhi is expected to act swiftly and decisively.

As the Indian Diaspora grows in size, dispersion and complexity, and areas of major concentration like the Gulf region witness large-scale destabilisation, the government will have to expand its capacity and expertise to execute such missions. Most importantly, these missions cannot remain an almost exclusively civilian prerogative. While the ministry of external affairs (MEA) will continue to play a lead role, the Indian military must be roped in as a key stakeholder.

To ensure the safety of Indians abroad, the Indian armed forces will have to develop specific doctrines, procedures and capabilities to deploy expeditionary forces in coordination with civilian authorities. Especially in hostile and conflict environments, the Indian military will have to be prepared to use lethal power, including Special Forces, to protect and extricate emigrants....

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This article was originally published in Force.

About the Author

Constantino Xavier

Former Fellow, Carnegie India

Constantino Xavier was a fellow at Carnegie India, based in New Delhi. His research focus is on India’s foreign policy, with emphasis on relations with its neighboring countries and South Asian regional security.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Bridging the Bay of Bengal: Toward a Stronger BIMSTEC

      Constantino Xavier

  • Paper
    India’s Expatriate Evacuation Operations: Bringing the Diaspora Home

      Constantino Xavier

Constantino Xavier
Former Fellow, Carnegie India
Constantino Xavier
Foreign PolicySecuritySouth AsiaIndia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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