I am the South Asia research scholar at Stanford University's Asia-Pacific Research Center, where I lead the recently restarted South Asia Initiative. My research focuses on military strategy, Indian defense policy, and Indo-Pacific security issues. I previously held research positions at the RAND Corporation, the East-West Center in Washington, and the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. I was also an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, where I taught the MA core class on Grand Strategy and Military Operations.
My work has been published in International Affairs, Journal of Strategic Studies, The Washington Quarterly, Asia Policy, Intelligence and National Security, Joint Force Quarterly, the Washington Post Monkey Cage, War on the Rocks, the Hindu, and elsewhere; as well as by Carnegie India, CNAS, the Lowy Institute, ASPI, and others.
Prior to my scholarly career, I served for 13 years in the Australian Defence Department, in a variety of analytic, management, and liaison positions, which included a diplomatic posting to the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC. I hold a PhD in war studies from King's College London, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA (Hons) from the University of New South Wales. I tweet @arzandc.
A brief CV is available here. Click here to get in touch.
NEW PUBLICATIONS:
My latest publications are on the Quad. The first, in the Jan 2023 edition of International Affairs, examines the strategic adjustment India made in 2020, and its impact on the Quad. I argue that India and the Quad are engaging in what I call "zone balancing," which is a distinct form of balancing behavior. The second, a short commentary for the Lowy Institute's Interpreter, argues the Quad should consider collaborating on AI applications for intelligence. Read these and my other work on the Publications page.
