Question

Describe two attitudes regarding the formulation of foreign policy in ancient time

Answer 1

ILittle do most Indian citizens realise that West Asia (or the Middle East) has historically been one of the foremost foreign policy challenges for New Delhi. From Nehru’s outreach towards the region under the guise of the Non-Aligned Movement to supporting Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist Iraq in the hope of protecting oil interests and secularism, India’s stake in the region has remained high on the back of political, economic and demographic challenges.

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In Iran, India is looking not just to invest in its large natural gas fields, but also develop the Chabahar port, which is expected to be a bridge of trade between India, Iran and central Asia along with Afghanistan, while also envisaged as a counter to the China-owned Gwadar port in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approached West Asia as an important part of India’s foreign policy. However, whether this outreach is backed by a critical sense of purpose is yet to be seen. Modi, over the past years, has visited Saudi Arabia, Iran and most recently Israel, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister ever to do so since diplomatic relations were set up with Tel Aviv in 1992 (the capital of Israel has been shifted to Jerusalem since).