Dr Swasti Rao is a geopolitical expert, commentator, and author, currently serving as Consulting Editor for Foreign and Strategic Affairs at ThePrint. She also hosts WorldView with Swasti, an in-depth discussion series on global strategic affairs.
She is an Associate Professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, and a Non-Resident Fellow at Eastern Circles, Paris. Previously, she worked at the prestigious Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), India’s premier defence think tank under the Ministry of Defence. During her tenure at MP-IDSA, she contributed to projects for the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, focusing on European geopolitics and geo-economics. Her research explored conflicts in Europe amidst shifting power structures and Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
Dr Rao is an alumna from Jawaharlal Nehru University (India), Tsukuba University (Japan), and the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale (France). She is also a recipient of the prestigious Japanese Education Ministry Fellowship (MEXT) in 2011 and the Okita Memorial Scholarship (2010) from ICCR. Before joining MP-IDSA, she was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Strategic and Security Studies, AMU, and has also held an adjunct position at Tokai University, Japan.
Recognized as a “Geopolitical Expert” by the Government of Uttar Pradesh for the G20 Summit 2023, Dr Rao was also honoured as one of the Under-40 Young Leaders by EICBI for her contributions to India-Europe relations. She is affiliated with the EU-India Women’s Council and serves as a peer reviewer for publications by the National Maritime Foundation (India), and the Royal United Services Institute (London).
Recently, she has been appointed as a Defence Consultant by the Ministry of Defence for the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) project.
Books and Reports
- “Ukraine Untold”, Harper Collins 2025.
- “Cross National Survey on Civil Society Organizations and Interest Groups in India” published by JSPS and University of Tsukuba, Japan, published in 2015; ISSN- 22223001
Journal Articles
- “Macron’s Africa Visit: What lies ahead”, Africa Trends Journal, VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1, January-June 2023
- “Critical drivers of EU-India Security Cooperation: Pathways for Optimizing Convergence”, EU- India think Tank Twinning Initiative 2022-2023. (Best paper award)
- “India-EFTA Free Trade Agreement: Template for Trade Negotiations with Europe”, Strategic Analysis, July-August 2024.
- “Unpacking the Proposed Stryker Deal between US and India”, co-authored with Col Deepak Kumar, Journal of Defence Studies, December 2024 (forthcoming issue)
- “India-France space alliance: Recent Developments and Stakes”, Vortex: French Air & Space Power Journal, December 2024.