I have received some funding from the CST to conduct my fieldwork in the United States at the end of February-March 2014. My research project deals with the evolution of American non-proliferation policy toward India in the post-Cold War period, focusing on the Clinton and the G. W. Bush administration.
Considering the current nature of the topic, the fieldwork in the United States was an indispensable part of my research to collect data that are not accessible from the UK. The aim of my visit was two-fold: on the one hand to collect documents available in archives and research institutions, and on the other, to interview people (policymakers and scholars) who played a fundamental role in the formulation of US foreign policy toward India.
During my fieldwork I visited archives and research institutions, such as the Library of Congress and the US National Archive, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the CSIS and others. Moreover, I had the chance to interview American decision makers and non-proliferation experts that were directly involved in the formulation of US foreign policymaking process toward India from 1993 to 2009.
This experience has been fundamental to develop a better understanding of my topic, to strengthen my arguments and at the same to discuss my research project with important scholars from my field.
Francesca Silvestri, PhD student in the School of Politics and International Relations
Posted on Friday 20th June 2014