Research Work and Publications

Major Research Publications

  • “Security in the Gulf Region: India’s Concerns, Vulnerabilities, Interests and Engagement Options” in Rumel Dahiya (ed) Developments in the Gulf Region: Prospects and Challenges For India in the Next Two Decades, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2013.
  • ‘Arab Spring’ and Democracy: Possibility or an Elusive Idea, Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, Vol 8, No.4, October to December 2013.
  • Monograph on “Turkey and its Quest for Leadership Role in the West Asian Region, IDSA Monograph Series 32, January 2014.
  • “US Pivot to the Asia Pacific: Impact and Implications for West Asia” (Co-authored) in S D Muni and Vivek Chadha (ed) Asian Strategic Review 2014: US Pivot and Asian Security, Pentagon Press New Delhi 2014.
  • IDSA Occasional Paper 34 “Threat of Israel’s Regional Isolation and Imperatives for the Future”, June 2014.
  • IDSA Occasional Paper 35 “Egypt’s Uneasy Transition: Internal and External Dynamics and Challenges for India”, August 2014.
  • “Afghanistan Post-2014: Can India Emerge as a Key ‘Security Collaborator’?” in S D Muni and Vivek Chadha (ed) Asian Strategic Review 2015: India as a Security Provider, Pentagon Press New Delhi 2015.
  • “Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Programme- How Real is the Threat” in R Sidda Goud and Manisha Mookerjee (ed) India and Iran in Contemporary Relations, Allied Publishers Pvt Ltd, Delhi, 2014
  • “Role of Militaries in the West Asian Region and Engagement Options for India” in Amb Arundhati Ghose (ed) West Asia in Transition, IDSA and DPG Publication, 2015
  • “Gulf Security Architecture and the GCC- Time to Shed Past Baggage and Start Anew” in PK Pradhan (ed) Geopolitical Shifts in West Asia: Trends and Implications, IDSA and Pentagon Press New Delhi, 2016.
  • “Increasing Control of Armed Forces over Governance in Egypt Coupled with a Deteriorating Security Situation: A Cause for Concern” in “West Asia in Transition Volume 2”, a joint publication by Delhi Policy Group (DPG) and IDSA, 2018.
  • “India’s Strategic Partnership with the UAE: A Key Pillar of India’s Outreach in West Asia”, Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol 17, No.1-2, January to June 2022, published in August 2023.
  • “Security in West Asia and India: Shared Concerns and Converging Interests” in Sujan R Chinoy and PK Pradhan (ed) India’s Policy Towards West Asia- The Modi Era, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2023,

Issue Briefs & Commentaries

Iran Elections: And the winner is… by M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi and Rajeev Agarwal, June 13, 2013

Taliban’s Spring Offensive and the Consequences, June 3, 2013

Israel Offers to Reconcile with Turkey: Compulsions and Realities, March 25, 2013

Will Netanyahu’s Return Lead to Increased Israeli Isolation?, January 19, 2013

The Signs of Change in Syria, December 24, 2012

Egypt in Crisis: Learning the Hard Lessons of Democracy, December 8, 2012

Iran-Egypt Rapprochement: Compulsions and Realities, March 8, 2013

SINAI: The Middle East’s New Hot Spot, November 30, 2012

Can Israel Afford the Risk of Operation Cast Lead Part 2?, November 19, 2012

Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment Programme: Is it the only Threat?, November 9, 2012

Arab Spring: Aspirations Met Or Dreams Unfulfilled?, October 26, 2012

Afghanistan: Between Hope and Despair, October 20, 2012

Is Arab Spring Part-2 Unravelling?, October 12, 2012

Libya: A Case of Revolution Gone Awry?, Africa Trends, Volume 2, Issue 3, May-June 2013

Iran under Hassan Rohani: Imperatives for the region and India, IDSA Issue Brief, July 19, 2013                                    

Ruling AKP in Turkey Gets a Lifeline, November 05, 2015  

The Iran Nuclear Deal: An Indian Perspective April 06, 2015

Iraq Elections-May 2018: Prospects and Possibilities, 08 May 2018

Articles and Papers in Think Tank/Websites:

South Asia Monitor

Strong and resilient Taliban points to tough times ahead, Sep 11, 2013

Iran nuclear talks – coming a full circle?

India and Turkey: Time to shed past baggage

Egypt’s woes could deepen with Morsi trial

Can Geneva II bring hope of peace in Syria?

Interim Iran nuclear deal: Significant victory for Tehran, relief for the rest

Geneva II: Peace in Syria gets another chance

Under pressure at home, Karzai visits India for support

‘Arab Spring’: A catalyst in recasting of regional landscape?

Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

Article #4216 , 13 December 2013, Iran Nuclear Deal: Why would Iran want to Weaponise?

Article #4132 , 1 October 2013, Iran’s Nuclear Programme: Is Rouhani in a Win-Win Situation?

Foreign Policy Research Centre New Delhi

Studies on Iran. Contributed a chapter “Iran-Egypt Relations: Testing Times in an Era of Turbulence and Transition” pg 164 onwards

VIF, New Delhi

Israel Palestine Talks: Joining Pieces to Attempt Peace, September 2013,

Security Architecture in the Persian Gulf: GCC, Gulf Union or Something Else?, October 2014,

Escalating Tensions  and Threat of A Military Conflict in The Gulf Region: Who has the Edge , July 2019

As the Killing of Top Iran General marks a  Tipping Point in the Crisis in the Middle East, Who has the Most to Fear, January 2020

Asia Times

India and security in the Gulf, October 2013 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/SOU-01-101213.htm

The Sunday Indian

Now look West, http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/now-look-west/31/48167/

The Diplomat

Could Iran and India be Afghanistan’s ‘Plan B?’, Feb 2014.

CLAWS

The Iranian Regime and the US Pull out from Nuclear Deal: Mounting Trouble or a Timely Lifeline, June 2018

Arab NATO: A Reality Check, September 2018

Terror at Pulwama – ‘Game Over’ for Pakistan, February 2019

Diplomatist     

Turkey and India: A Case of Two Regional Powers Seeking Convergence and Opportunities to build Long Term Partnership, Special Report on Turkey, October 2013

MEI@ND

Syria and Chemical Weapons: Has the Main Issue Been Sidelined?, October 2013

Futility of Military Operations in Syria, September 2013

Book Review of edited Book, Persian Gulf 2013: India’s Relations with the Region

Geopolitical Monitor

Israel’s Ground Offensive in Gaza: A Case of Misplaced Objectives?, July 2014

ISIS in Iraq: Sectarian Tsunami or Regional Rivalry?, June 2014