Ronen Sen

Ronen Sen joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1966. Early postings in Moscow, San Francisco, and Dhaka were followed by service as secretary to India's Atomic Energy Commission. In the prime minister's office from 1986 to 1991 he handled foreign affairs, defense, and science and technology. He then served as ambassador to Mexico, Russia, and Germany and as high commissioner to Britain. ¹

Sen returned from retirement to lead the Washington embassy from August 2004 to March 2009. He became closely associated with the civil nuclear agreement, drawing on his earlier experience of the dispute over fuel supplies for India's Tarapur reactors. In a later interview he defended the agreement as a way to expand access to advanced technology and criticized the domestic resistance it encountered. ²

His diplomatic career also straddled major changes in Europe. His six years in Moscow covered the difficult transition after the Soviet Union's collapse; in Germany he presented credentials in Bonn and then in Berlin as the federal government moved its seat. He continued to speak publicly about India's nuclear choices after leaving Washington, arguing that investment and technology transfer should guide policy. ^{1, 2}