Deepika Saraswat

Iran is fighting a ‘war of balance’, using controlled horizontal escalation as a tool to impose sufficient costs on the US and its regional partners.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• March 23, 2026 |
• IDSA Comments

Iran is fighting a ‘war of balance’, using controlled horizontal escalation as a tool to impose sufficient costs on the US and its regional partners.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• March 23, 2026 |
• West Asia War Analyses

Deteriorating ties between Pakistan and the Taliban are shaping an emerging regional split vis-à-vis Afghanistan.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• January 01, 2026 |
• Issue Brief

Even as India normalises diplomatic ties with the Taliban, its long-term Afghanistan strategy remains focused on developmental efforts.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• November 13, 2025 |
• IDSA Comments

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Deepika Saraswat’s article ‘Chabahar and the change in the West Asian calculus’ has been published in Hindustan Times on 26 September 2025. West Asia’s geopolitical landscape has seen radical shifts and realignments. India must refresh its strategy for the region, says Dr Saraswat. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

This monograph attempts to analyse Iran's Look East strategy, which became the macro framework of Iran's foreign policy after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 and more effectively under President Ebrahim Raisi. It delves into various geopolitical and economic drivers of Iran's pursuit of long-term partnerships with China and Russia. It seeks to understand how Iran's regional policy is responding to the new geopolitical dynamics in Central Asia and the Caucasus following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Azerbaijan's victory in the second Nagorno-Karabakh war. It also examines the problems and prospects in India-Iran ties, especially in the context of Iran's Look East strategy.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• 2025 |
• Monograph

The Saudi-Pakistan defence pact symbolises regional actors' growing autonomy and assertiveness in reshaping the regional security environment.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• September 30, 2025 |
• IDSA Comments

To confront the long-term Israeli campaign aimed at dismantling its military capabilities, Iran will likely seek to increase the resilience of its forces.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• August 07, 2025 |
• Issue Brief

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Deepika Saraswat’s article ‘Israel’s 12-day war leaves Iran on a security-first path’ has been published in Frontline on 23 July, 2025. The war deepened Iran’s isolation but revived its nationalist core, accelerating a shift from revolutionary idealism to strategic pragmatism’ says Dr Saraswat. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Deepika Saraswat’s article ‘The Reckoning In Tehran, has been published in Open Magazine, on 4 July, 2025. Wartime national solidarity is not a resurgence of support for the Islamic Republic, says Dr Saraswat. Read Complete Article [+]