Swasti Rao

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Dr. Swasti Rao is Associate Fellow at the Europe and Eurasia Center, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

She has a Masters in Politics (spl’n. IR) and an M.Phil in East Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She has completed her PhD in Advanced International Politics from Tsukuba University, Japan. She is a recipient of Japanese Education Ministry Fellowship (MEXT) in 2011 and also a recipient of the ‘Okita Memorial Scholarship’ in 2010 from ICCR.

She holds an adjunct position at the Tokai University, Japan in the capacity of a foreign collaborator for the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) funded research project on “Civil Society and Urban Governance in Asia, 2020-2025”

Her current research project at IDSA is on Conflicts in Europe amidst shifting Global Power Structures: Geometries of Deterrence and Europe’s Indo Pacific outreach as strategies for Threat Balancing. Her other work and research interests explore dimensions of the securitization debate in Europe , Migrant Crisis, Europe’s Outreach to Indo -Pacific, Defence Cooperation between India and Major European Players, Multilateral Cooperation for Space Situational awareness and Maritime Domain Awareness. She also explores Europe- Japan relations and its global implications. She has published with Routledge on intelligence sharing in the Indo Pacific and her forthcoming work with them is on Climate Change and Space Debris issues with special focus on emerging space race.

Before joining MP-IDSA she was Assistant Professor in the Department of Strategic and Security Studies, AMU where she taught courses on European Security, Rise of China and implications for World Order, Research Methodology and UN Peacekeeping.

She has also been Research Associate at the Graduate School of Humanities and Politics at the University of Tsukuba, Japan from 2011-2016.

She has been a Principal Investigator in Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) funded project,”A Comparative and Empirical Study of the Structural Changes in Politics” from 2011-2014.

She is the editor of Either/Or, an academic journal dedicated to international and political affairs.

Dr. Rao has published extensively, delivered talks and lectures at various international universities like Australian National University, Canberra; Gakushuin University and Tokai University, Japan; Giresun University, Turkey; National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico; Thammasat University, Thailand and writes regular Op-ed columns for leading dailies.

She has been involved in syllabus writing for Political Science, CBCS, IGNOU for the year 2020 and has been associated with the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), for collating International Relations Resources and Research Methodology Resources for teachers in Higher Education in 2020 funded by the National Resource Centre for Education, NEUPA
Other Publications

  • Associate Fellow
  • Email: rswasti[dot]mpidsa[at]gov[dot]in
  • Phone: +91 11 2671 7983

Publication

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Who will pay the bill for rebuilding Ukraine? The answer lies in unfreezing Russian assets

Swasti Rao's Opinion Piece 'Who will pay the bill for rebuilding Ukraine? The answer lies in unfreezing Russian assets' Published in The Print

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao's opinion piece 'Who will pay the bill for rebuilding Ukraine? The answer lies in unfreezing Russian assets' has been published in 'The Print' on 02 December 2022.

The rebuilding load will have to be shared among the western allies but the West is also keen on making Russia foot the bill for its destruction of Ukraine, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 2 December, 2022
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G20 fault lines making it hard to walk its talk. India’s presidency a chance to plug gaps

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s Opinion Piece ‘G20 fault lines making it hard to walk its talk. India’s presidency a chance to plug gaps’ has been published in ‘The Print’ on 04 November 2022.

G20 meetings are more important for their sidelines than their outcomes. One sideline will be the first in-person meeting of UK PM Rishi Sunak and PM Modi, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 4 November, 2022
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Europe is discarding human rights concerns and reaching out to energy-rich Middle East

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s opinion piece ‘Europe is discarding human rights concerns and reaching out to energy-rich Middle East’ has been published in ‘The Print’ on 21 October 2022.

Gulf States’ refusal to side with the West and ramp up oil production is less about Russia and more about a fundamental tenet of pursuing national interest, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 21 October, 2022
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Ukraine has world’s attention but look around, 2 new flashpoints emerging for US-Russia clash

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s article ‘Ukraine has world’s attention but look around, 2 new flashpoints emerging for US-Russia clash’ has been published in ‘The Print’ on 07 October 2022.

The Caucasus and the Balkans might witness further militarisation by Russia to hold on to its weaning influence, thereby raising stakes in the already tense environment, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 7 October, 2022
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Olaf Scholz’s visit to the Gulf: Energy Diversification vs. Liberal Values

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s article ‘Olaf Scholz’s visit to the Gulf: Energy Diversification vs Liberal Values’ has been published in the Diplomatist on 06 October 2022.

Being Europe’s largest economy, Germany needs to secure new oil and gas supplies, but at the same time, it doesn’t want to be seen as soft on human rights. Therefore, the German Chancellor’s visit is being called a diplomatic balancing act, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 6 October, 2022
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The Nordic-5 is tired of China’s power-games, and Modi’s India has its eyes out

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s article ‘The Nordic-5 is tired of China’s power-games, and Modi’s India has its eyes out’ has been published in ‘The Print’ on 23 September 2022.

When China was a country that preferred to be loved, its most sustainable outreach in Europe was to the Nordics. Needless to say, its not the same anymore, says Dr Rao..

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  • Published: 23 September, 2022
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India must boost defence ties with Europe. Give up ‘lowest-bidder Russia’ mindset

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s opinion piece ‘India must boost defence ties with Europe. Give up ‘lowest-bidder Russia’ mindset’ has been published in ‘The Print’ on 09 September 2022.

The Europeans have been willing to meet DAP guidelines, but what India has not been able to convince them of is operating Russian-style joint ventures, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 9 September, 2022
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NATO powers, Quad, Five Eyes, ASEAN—China’s rise is forcing nations to unionise

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Swasti Rao’s opinion piece ‘NATO powers, Quad, Five Eyes, ASEAN—China’s rise is forcing nations to unionise’ has been published in ‘The Print’ on 26 August 2022.

Pitch Black 2022, Australian Air Force’s biennial warfare exercise, stands out for an unusual display of enthusiasm by two EU powers, France and Germany, says Dr Rao.

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  • Published: 26 August, 2022