The Role of Trade in India’s Geoeconomic Strategy
1. Sankalp Gurjar, The Role of Trade in India’s Geoeconomic Strategy, ORF Occasional Paper, May 2026. Available at: https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-role-of-trade-in-india-s-geoeconomic-strategy
About
Sankalp Gurjar is an Assistant Professor at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. Prior to joining GIPE, Sankalp has taught at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and has worked as a Research Fellow with the Indian Council of World Affairs, Sapru House, Delhi. He is the author of ‘The Superpowers’ Playground: Djibouti and Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific in the 21st Century’ (Routledge, 2023). Sankalp writes regularly for various journals, newspapers and magazines. In his research, Sankalp focuses on the Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of the Indo-Pacific Region, Asian Security and India's Foreign Policy.
Education
- PhD in International Relations, South Asian University (A University established by SAARC Nations)
- MA in International Relations, SAU
- BA in Economics, Fergusson College, SPPU
Work Experience
- Assistant Professor (Geopolitics and Geoeconomics), Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune
- Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
- Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi
Research Interest
- Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of the Indo-Pacific Region
- Asian Security
- India’s Foreign Policy
Courses Taught
- Introduction to International Relations
- India’s Foreign Policy
- Asia’s Geoeconomics
- Indian Political System
- Introduction to Geopolitics and Geoeconomics
- Global Political Economy
- International Security and Law
Books
The Superpowers’ Playground: Djibouti and Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific in the 21st Century The Superpowers’ Playground: Djibouti and Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific in the 21st Century”, written by Sankalp Gurjar, Routledge, London: 2023.
India and Africa Looking Ahead: Contemporary Realities and Emerging Prospects 2. India and Africa Looking Ahead: Contemporary Realities and Emerging Prospects Edited by Nivedita Ray & Sankalp Gurjar, Indian Council of World Affairs; Macmillan Education, 2023
Journal Articles
Sailing on the Seven Seas: Indo-US Strategic Partnership in the Indo-Pacific
Sankalp Gurjar, “Sailing on the Seven Seas: Indo-US Strategic Partnership in the Indo-Pacific”, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2025, pp. 46-66
Changing Contours of America’s South Asia Strategy
Sankalp Gurjar, “Changing Contours of America’s South Asia Strategy”, Strategic Analysis, Vo. 48, No. 1, 2024, pp. 1-14.
The Port of Berbera and the Geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean
Sankalp Gurjar, “The Port of Berbera and the Geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean”, International Studies, Vol. 60, No. 3, 2023, pp. 313-327.
Expanding Arc of India’s Defence Diplomacy: From the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Guinea
Sankalp Gurjar, “Expanding Arc of India’s Defence Diplomacy: From the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Guinea”, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2023, pp. 63-86
The Iran Challenge: Unravelling India's Foreign Policy Dilemma
Sankalp Gurjar, Sankalp Gurjar, The Iran Challenge: Unravelling India's Foreign Policy Dilemma, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Vol. 6, No. 5, 2023, pp. 27-41
Bringing Western Indian Ocean in the Indo-Pacific
Sankalp Gurjar, Bringing Western Indian Ocean in the Indo-Pacific, Journal of the Indian Ocean Studies, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2023, pp. 39-47.
Russia Returns to the Indian Ocean: Exploring the Expanding Strategic Presence
Sankalp Gurjar, “Russia Returns to the Indian Ocean: Exploring the Expanding Strategic Presence”, India Quarterly, Vol. 78, No. 3, 2022, pp. 413-430.
Locating Indian Ocean Island States in India’s Foreign Policy
Sankalp Gurjar, “Locating Indian Ocean Island States in India’s Foreign Policy”, Indian Foreign Affairs Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2021, pp. 36-53
Djibouti: The Organizing Principle of Indo-Pacific
Sankalp Gurjar, “Djibouti: The Organizing Principle of Indo-Pacific”, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 8, 2021, pp. 46-63.
Geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean: Unravelling China’s Multi- Dimensional Presence’
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘Geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean: Unravelling China’s Multi- Dimensional Presence’, Strategic Analysis, Vol. 43, No. 5, 2019, pp. 385-401
India-Africa Oil Partnership in the New Millennium
12. Sankalp Gurjar, ‘India-Africa Oil Partnership in the New Millennium’, India Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 2, 2018, pp. 197-214
Book chapters
Savitribai Phuley
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘Savitribai Phuley’ in Dev Nath Pathak and Sanjeev Kumar H.M. (eds.) Modern South Asian Thinkers (Routledge, 2026).
Djibouti’
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘Djibouti’, in Brian C.H. Fong (eds.), The Palgrave Geopolitical Atlas: State and Quasi-States in Great Power Competition, Palgrave Macmillan 2026, pp. 377-390.
Reconfiguring China’s Role in Afghanistan: Security, Stability and Economic Development
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘Reconfiguring China’s Role in Afghanistan: Security, Stability and Economic Development’ in Rajen Harshé and Dhananjay Tripathi (eds.) Afghanistan Post-2014: Power Configurations and Evolving Trajectories, (Routledge, 2024).
India's Scholarships to Southwest Indian Ocean: Major Trends and Analysis
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘India's Scholarships to Southwest Indian Ocean: Major Trends and Analysis’ in Nutan Kapoor Mahawar and Dhrubajyoti Bhattacharjee (eds.) India's Development Partnership: Expanding Vistas, (Routledge, 2024).
BRI in Africa: From Enthusiasm to Dilemma
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘BRI in Africa: From Enthusiasm to Dilemma’, in Sanjeev Kumar (eds.) China’s BRI in Different Regions of the World (Routledge, 2023), pp. 293-309.
South Asian Trans-Border Energy Connectivity and Co-operation: Problems and Prospects
Sankalp Gurjar, ‘South Asian Trans-Border Energy Connectivity and Co-operation: Problems and Prospects’ in Dhananjay Tripathi (eds.) Reimagining Border Studies, (Routledge, 2021), pp. 89-106.
Indian Ocean and Major Powers: Reconfiguring India’s Role
Rajen Harshé and Sankalp Gurjar, ‘Indian Ocean and Major Powers: Reconfiguring India’s Role’ in Anusua Basu Ray Chaudhury and Vikash Kumar (eds.) Understanding Transition in South Asia: Economy, Politics and Society (Essays in Honour of Professor Partha Ghosh), (Academic Foundation, 2020), pp. 239- 263.
Ongoing Projects
Working on a book project with the Routledge Books (Taylor and Francis Group) on the Indo-Pacific.
Seminar / Conference / Workshop Presentations
NIAS Conference on Protecting Critical Seabed Infrastructure in the Indo- Pacific: Exploring Trilateral Cooperation between Australia-France-India. Session on ‘Legal, Normative, and Policy Coordination for Trilateral Cooperation’. August 2026.
Asia economic Dialogue 2026. Organized by Pune International Centre and MEA. Session on ‘Maritime Geoeconomics of the Indian Ocean’, February 2026.
India Think Tank Forum, 2026. Organized by ORF Delhi. Session on ‘Trade Wars and Tightropes: What Must India Do?’, January 2026.
International Relations Conference, 2025. Session on ‘Economic Warfare & Supply Chain Disruptions’. Organized by Symbiosis School of International Studies, November 2025.
Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the 1965 India-Pak War at the United Service Institution, India, September 2025. Inaugural Session.
India Think-Tank Forum, 2025. Organised by the ORF Delhi. Session on ‘Future of Growth and Geoeconomics’, February 2025.
ORF-PIC Dialogue on India’s China Challenge, September 2024.
CPPR and ICWA Maritime Security Conference on Indo-Pacific. Session on ‘Western Indian Ocean - Southern Ocean Security Complex’, August 2021.
As Resource Person & Academic Activities
- Session on ‘Geopolitical Risk and Business’ at a CIO Club Training Session,Pune. April 2026.
Awards & Recognitions
- Received Mira Sinha-Bhattacharjea Award for the Best Paper; titled ‘Chinese Maritime Activities in the Indian Ocean Maritime Africa’ at the 10th All India Conference of China Studies, organized by the Institute of Chinese Studies (New Delhi), held at the University of Goa (in co-operation with Naval War College, Goa), in December 2017.
- Recipient of University Grants Commission – National Eligible Test (UGC-NET) Junior Research Fellowship for Doctoral Work (2014-2016). Later upgraded to Senior Research Fellowship (2016-2019)
- President’s Scholar for MA at South Asian University (2012-2014).