Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1974. Early in his career, he was posted in a number of West Asian countries, such as Kuwait, Iraq, and Yemen. And from 1987-90, he was consul general in Jeddah. He also held positions in the Indian missions in New York, London, and Pretoria. He was joint secretary for Gulf and Hajj in 1998-2000. He served as Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia twice (2000-03; 2010-11); Oman (2003-04), and the United Arab Emirates (2007-10). He was also additional secretary for international cooperation in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, 2004-06, and director general of the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi, 2006-07. In July 2011, the Saudi government conferred on him the King Abdul Aziz Medal First Class for his contribution to the promotion of Indian–Saudi relations. After retirement from the foreign service in 2011, he worked in the corporate sector in Dubai for four years. He is now a full-time academic and holds the Ram Sathe Chair in International Studies, Symbiosis International University, Pune. He has published three books: Reform in the Arab World: External Influences and Regional Debates (2005), Children of Abraham at War: The Clash of Messianic Militarisms (2010), and The Islamist Challenge in West Asia: Doctrinal and Political Competitions After the Arab Spring (2013). He writes regularly in the Indian and West Asian media and lectures on the politics and economics of South and West Asia, Eurasia, and the Indian Ocean, and energy security issues.