India’s Quest for Energy Through Oil and Natural Gas

This book analyzes energy security through the lens of oil and natural gas and explains how geopolitics and security challenges affect India’s quest for energy security. It also offers insights into India’s international trade and investment in the overseas oil and natural gas markets and discusses shale energy, adopting region-specific (Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, and LAC), country-specific (Russia and the US), maritime-specific (Arctic and South China Sea), and pipeline-specific (TAPI, MBI, IPI, and RCI) approaches to analyze India’s oil and natural gas trade and investment abroad. The introductory chapter examines energy perspectives in international relations and conceptualizes energy geopolitics and energy security from both international and Indian standpoints. The book also highlights the similarities and differences in the issues involved in the global oil and natural gas market, and India’s approach to these, offering a roadmap for holistic and integrated energy security through oil and natural gas.

Since India’s energy trade and investment in the international oil and natural gas market are not free from the effects of political instability, corruption, environment crisis, militancy, terrorism, war, and geopolitical involvement and interference, the book investigates the nature and extent of the security threats and competition India faces in the oil and natural gas-producing countries while pursuing its trade and investments there. As major sources of energy, oil and natural gas are strategic assets, and energy security is one of the core areas of India’s foreign policy pursuits. As such, the chapters critically assess India’s energy policy and resource diplomacy, providing analyses of the issues raised, identifying the central arguments and presenting existing cooperations – with past examples where necessary. The book appeals to scholars and policymakers active in the fields of energy, political science, international relations, economics, foreign policy, peace and conflict, security and geopolitics, as well as non-experts interested in this topic.

Sanjay Kumar Pradhan is an Assistant Professor of International Relations, at the School of Liberal Studies, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gujarat, India. He received his postgraduate, advanced postgraduate, and Ph.D. degrees from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. During his M.Phil. (advanced postgraduate) studies, was awarded a centrally sponsored fellowship to pursue his doctorate by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Government of India. He has 14 years of teaching and research experience, teaching and guiding undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. students in areas ranging from political science, international relations, to law. His research interests include the geopolitics of energy, energy security, resource diplomacy, international political economy, green energy, climate change & sustainable development, Africa, diaspora, gender, foreign policy, peace & conflict, and theories of international relations. He has published a book and 43 research papers in various respected journals, including the Indian Journal of Social Work, Asian Studies, Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, Journal of Peace Studies, Asian Profile, and Economic & Political Weekly.