A Practitioner Who Taught Us That Diplomacy Begins With Understanding People
Simi Mehta
There are diplomats whose careers are remembered through the offices they held, and there are diplomats whose influence endures because they changed the way others understood the world. Ambassador Latha Reddy belonged unmistakably to the latter category.
The IMPRI family mourns the passing of Ambassador Latha Reddy, former Deputy National Security Adviser of India, former Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Ambassador to Portugal and Thailand, and one of India’s most respected strategic thinkers. Throughout a diplomatic career spanning almost four decades, she represented India with distinction across continents and later became a leading global voice on cyber diplomacy and international security. Yet, for those of us who knew her through IMPRI, she will be remembered not only as a distinguished diplomat, but as an extraordinary teacher who believed that knowledge acquired through public service must always be shared with the next generation.
At IMPRI, Ambassador Reddy was a cherished member of our intellectual community. She participated in our programmes on Emerging Dimensions of India’s Foreign Policy, Feminist Foreign Policy, and Inclusive Diplomacy, engaging with students, researchers, practitioners, civil servants, journalists and young policy professionals from across India and beyond. She never approached these sessions as formal lectures. She approached them as conversations—thoughtful, patient and remarkably generous conversations that encouraged participants to think critically while remaining grounded in reality.
For me personally, Ambassador Reddy profoundly enriched my understanding of foreign policy. As someone who has spent years studying and teaching international relations, I discovered through her that there is a significant difference between analysing diplomacy and practising it. She gently reminded us that while scholars often focus on doctrines, institutions and strategic frameworks, diplomats must ultimately work with people—with their aspirations, anxieties, cultures and histories. Her interventions consistently bridged this gap between theory and practice.
One of the themes she returned to repeatedly during her IMPRI lectures was that successful diplomacy is built long before agreements are signed. Negotiations, she explained, rarely succeed because of eloquent speeches across conference tables. They succeed because diplomats invest time in understanding one another, cultivating confidence, and keeping channels of communication open even when governments disagree. Participants often remarked afterwards that this insight fundamentally altered their understanding of international relations. Foreign policy, they realised, is not merely about states interacting; it is about individuals building trust on behalf of their nations.
Her reflections on diplomacy were refreshingly free of romanticism. She often told participants that diplomacy requires immense preparation, discipline and patience. Behind every visible diplomatic success, she explained, lie countless hours of reading, listening, analysing, consulting and quietly building consensus. She demystified the profession while simultaneously elevating its importance as a vocation dedicated to national service.
Ambassador Reddy also had an extraordinary gift for illustrating strategic concepts through stories from her own career. When discussing her years as Deputy National Security Adviser, she recounted that one of the greatest challenges in building India’s cybersecurity architecture was not technological capability but institutional coordination. Multiple ministries and agencies possessed expertise, yet each viewed the problem from a different perspective. She observed—with characteristic warmth and humour—that many breakthroughs emerged not inside formal boardrooms but during informal lunches over dosa and coffee, where colleagues began to trust one another enough to solve problems collectively. It was a story participants remembered long after the lecture ended because it captured her enduring philosophy: institutions function best when relationships are strong.
Equally memorable were her reflections on India’s diplomatic evolution. Having served in diverse postings during periods of profound geopolitical change, she often reminded participants that foreign policy is never static. It must continuously adapt to changing realities while remaining anchored in national interest. For students eager for simple answers, she offered something far more valuable: an appreciation for nuance. She encouraged them to resist viewing international politics through binaries of success and failure, friend and adversary, idealism and realism. Effective diplomacy, she argued, lies in managing complexity rather than eliminating it.
Her lectures on feminist foreign policy were similarly distinguished by their pragmatism. Rather than treating the subject as a slogan, Ambassador Reddy invited participants to examine how diplomacy becomes stronger when more voices participate in shaping it. She spoke about the experiences of women diplomats not in terms of victimhood but in terms of competence, professionalism and resilience. She reminded participants that genuine inclusion strengthens institutions because diversity enriches decision-making. Her perspective helped move the conversation beyond representation alone towards questions of leadership, governance and peacebuilding.
Perhaps what impressed participants most was her humility. Despite having occupied some of the highest offices in India’s national security establishment, she never sought to dominate a discussion. She listened as attentively as she spoke. She welcomed difficult questions from young scholars, answered them with remarkable patience, and treated every participant with respect regardless of age or experience. One never left her sessions intimidated; one left inspired.
That quality reflected the life she lived. Ambassador Reddy belonged to a generation of Indian diplomats who quietly shaped India’s engagement with a rapidly changing world. Whether strengthening India’s relations with Southeast Asia, representing the country in Europe, contributing to national security policymaking, or advancing global conversations on cybersecurity, she approached every responsibility with integrity, intellectual rigour and dignity.
Her association with IMPRI was therefore far more than a series of lectures. She helped cultivate a culture of inquiry that valued evidence over rhetoric, dialogue over dogma, and practical wisdom alongside academic scholarship. Hundreds of participants who attended her sessions now work in universities, government institutions, think tanks, international organisations and civil society. Many continue to recall her observations whenever they think about diplomacy, leadership and public service. That is perhaps the greatest legacy any teacher can leave.
For me, Ambassador Latha Reddy will always remain one of those rare practitioner-scholars who demonstrated that foreign policy is not merely about managing crises or protecting interests. It is about understanding people, respecting differences, building trust and exercising judgment with humility.
Her passing leaves a profound void—not only within India’s diplomatic fraternity but also within the wider community of scholars and young professionals whom she inspired through her generosity and wisdom.
The IMPRI family extends its deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and the entire diplomatic community.
We shall remember Ambassador Latha Reddy with immense gratitude, admiration and affection. Her intellect enriched our discussions. Her experience deepened our understanding. Her humility reminded us that true leadership is measured not only by the positions one holds but by the minds one shapes.
May her soul rest in eternal peace, and may her remarkable legacy continue to inspire generations of diplomats, scholars, and public servants.
Author:
Dr. Simi Mehta, CEO and Editorial Director at Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi.
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Acknowledgement: This article was posted by Pallavi Lad, a Research and Editorial Intern at IMPRI.
