In the seventies, energy was brought into the security domain for the first time when oil-exporting countries decided to determine the price of oil by mutual consultations under the aegis of OPEC. It acquired a strategic dimension in 1973 when Arab oil-exporting countries declared an embargo of oil shipments to the United States as retaliation against its assistance of the Israeli military. Since the seventies, the debate on energy security has been largely defined in terms of the Western perspective. In particular, the United States has been leveraging its oil needs to rationalize its domination on the making of the global oil regime and even strategizing its relations and presence in the oil rich regions of the world, namely, the Persian Gulf and Central Asia.FeaturesThis volume attempts to profile India's energy relations in the global context and fathom the issues it is facing in defending its energy interests in the changing world market. The nature of India's engagement with the Gulf, Iran, Russia, and Africa, and its understanding of the perceived competition are the major concerns of the book. This book serves academia, policy planners, and opinion makers not only in India but abroad. Advance PraiseI. P. Khosla Former Secretary Ministry of External Affairs India This timely study guides us through the intricate pathways India must follow in its quest for energy security, and will be a milestone in the field. Backed by years of research and writing on the subject (his most recent work was a comprehensive book on India's search for energy security), the author provides us the most panoramic coverage till date of the options before India, now emerging as a relatively new player, albeit with a burgeoning demand. S. D. Muni Executive Director (International Affairs) Observer Research Foundation The consumer is the king in market theology, and the energy market is no exception. India, as one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, is a major energy consumer and will remain so for about three to four decades more, till the gap between its energy production and energy need is filled, or at least minimized. It will have to secure access to stable and affordable sources of energy supply in order to sustain its growth momentum. Professor Girijesh Pant has meticulously analysed India's 'foreign energy policy' in the regions of the Persian Gulf (particularly Iran), Russia and Africa. This has been done keeping in mind the overall global energy security situation and the intense competition with other major Asian consumers like China and Japan. The study sharply brings out both the challenge to and the resilience of India's energy diplomacy and underlines the fact that its growing energy needs also constitute its bargaining asset. The proposed idea of an 'Asian energy community' is worth exploring seriously. Girijesh's study with copious statistical information and clinical analytical explanations will greatly help the scholars, observers and policy makers in understanding the complexities of India's search for energy security in a rapidly changing energy scenario.