Around the Table with Keerthi Martyn

Around the Table is a three-question interview series from the Make Room email newsletter as a part of the CNAS Make Room initiative. Each edition features a conversation with a peer in the national security community to learn about their expertise and experience in the sector.

Keerthi Martyn is a research assistant for the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). His research focuses on South Asia, particularly U.S. policy toward the Indian Ocean region, and covers geopolitics and security issues related to India and small states like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

1. What advice do you have for someone who is early in their career?

I think it comes down to understanding the two sides of commitment. In your 20s and early in your career, you’re constantly being asked to commit to paths and places. I feel like that can be overwhelming, but it’s also an opportunity.

The first side of commitment is not being afraid to commit to something that genuinely interests you. If there’s a topic, region, field, or career path you can see yourself pursuing long term, lean into it. Start building your expertise early. Skills and knowledge take time, and the best investment you can make is in something that excites you intellectually on a deeper level and that motivates you day to day.

The second side of commitment is not feeling pressured to commit when your heart isn’t in something and giving yourself permission to explore what’s out there. Try different opportunities, cross things off your list, and learn what doesn’t fit. I think sometimes figuring out what you don’t want is what ultimately leads you to what you do. Don’t be afraid to take risks or pursue opportunities that might not be the “right path” for a foreign policy career.

At one point, I thought I was going to law school, not because I truly wanted to, but because it seemed like the most practical option. But after a Fulbright experience in Sri Lanka and a couple of years working in D.C., I realized there are many paths to fulfillment and impact in the foreign policy field. By not committing to something I wasn’t ready for, I’ve been able to find out what I want to specialize in (South Asia and Indo-Pacific policy) and what career I want in the long term (working in both think tanks and government) because of it. I am a firm believer that a meaningful and impactful career is built by learning when to commit, when to explore, and having the confidence and guidance to do both intentionally.

2. What did you learn from your experience as a Fulbright scholar? Is any aspect of it still relevant to your career now?

My Fulbright experience in Sri Lanka was deeply formative, both professionally and personally. As a research scholar based at a foreign policy think tank in Colombo, I studied areas of cooperation in the U.S.–Sri Lanka relationship within the broader context of Indo-Pacific geopolitics. Being on the ground allowed me to engage directly with policy experts, academics, activists, and current and former practitioners, which gave me a far more nuanced, grassroots understanding of diplomacy in practice.

Through these conversations, I came to better appreciate how small states, particularly those in the Indian Ocean, perceive the global order. It challenged my assumptions about what an “inclusive” Indo-Pacific truly means, highlighting the importance of perspectives that are often overshadowed by major power capitals, including Washington. This experience fundamentally reshaped how I think about international relations and the role of smaller states within it, which I believe will make me a better scholar, practitioner, American, and global citizen in the long term.

On a personal level, the experience was equally meaningful. As a Sri Lankan American, I had the opportunity to spend time in the country where my parents were born and that was torn apart by civil war, one I had previously known only through my family’s stories in our living room. That connection to Sri Lankan brethren and roots that I was able to gain during my time in the country made my work feel even more grounded and significant.

3. You recently wrote a report on the importance of U.S.-India relations. Why should policymakers pay more attention to this relationship and what are the key reflections you have from doing this work?

Writing the report and spending a month in New Delhi in January 2026 deepened my understanding of the U.S.-India relationship, not just around the strategic logic but also from a more visceral sense of what is truly at stake. The relationship sits at the intersection of today’s most consequential issues: regional stability, competition with China, critical supply chains, energy, and emerging technologies. While it has grown significantly since the late 1990s, the partnership stumbled badly in the second half of 2025 due to a series of missteps on our side that eroded trust.

Being on the ground revealed something less tangible but equally important for my long-term perspective, which is the emotional and historical depth of the partnership. At the same time, as member of Gen Z, I was equally struck by the optimism and ambition of India’s younger generation. Their talent, ambition, and sheer numbers are extraordinary, and, if effectively harnessed, will shape both India’s future and the trajectory of the partnership itself.

Ultimately, the U.S.-India relationship is too important to be allowed to drift. It needs to be actively rebuilt, with consistency across a number of areas and a long-term commitment to its strategic, democratic, and human dimensions.