Discuss India's relations with countries of West Asia.
Answers
Until the end of the Cold War India’s relations with West Asia were primarily shaped by India’s policy responses to evolving geopolitical ground realities internationally and in the region. When India became independent, the West exercised almost unchallengable influence and control over West Asia. All independent West Asian countries then had strongly anti-Communist, pro-West regimes and had become a part of the American-led bloc in the context of the newly emerged Cold War. However, to the West’s great disappointment, even anger, India adopted a unique approach — not being aligned with either camp.
On September 7, 1946, five days after joining the Governor General’s Executive Council as Vice Chairman and Member in charge of External Affairs, Nehru declared “We propose, as far as possible, to keep away from the power politics of groups aligned against one another … far too long have we of Asia been petitioners in Western courts and chancelleries .... We do not intend to be the playthings of others.”[1] India consciously decided to use the expression “West Asia” to refer to the “Middle East,” the latter being a term which originated in Western colonialist perspectives.
India’s high-decibel support for the Palestinian cause and pan-Arab nationalism with strong denunciations of Israeli and Western policies further angered Western powers. India had consistently provided a welcoming haven to Jewish people going back 2000 years. But having strongly denounced the Balfour Declaration (1917) during India’s freedom struggle, it was inevitable for India to oppose the creation of Israel and its admission to the United Nations as a matter of principle.
Britain had deliberately created Pakistan as an independent Muslim State. Pakistan’s belligerent hostility to India from day one was also manifested in its malevolent use of the Islamic card against India. There was automatic Western and Arab/Iranian/Turkish support for the emergence of Pakistan and in the many disputes that Pakistan created with India and in the wars that it initiated against India starting from its brazen invasion of Kashmir on October 22, 1947. Anti-Indian attitudes were clearly manifested in the discussions in the U.N. Security Council on the issue of Hyderabad from September 1948 to May 1949 and on Kashmir.
Britain sponsored the Baghdad Pact (1955), a military alliance with the region’s heavyweights — the Shah’s Iran and Iraq (until 1958 a pro-Western monarchy) as well as Pakistan and Turkey — in order to ensure its continued strategic control over the region and particularly to prevent the ingress of any Soviet influence. However, Pakistan’s sole motivation to join the alliance was the “India factor.” Unsurprisingly, India strongly denounced the formation of this military alliance.
India had viewed the advent of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt very positively and had great empathy with the Nasserite ideology of pan-Arab nationalism, socialism, secular and republican governance. India supported Egypt strongly during the Suez crisis and against the consequent Anglo-French-Israeli invasion of Egypt and later in the 1967 war with Israel. Nehru established a strong personal relationship with Nasser and together with President Tito of Yugoslavia the three leaders were the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. All this exacerbated India’s rift with the West.
Nasserite ideology was the inspiration for the formation of the United Arab Republic (U.A.R.), a union with Syria in February 1958; for the overthrow of the monarchy in Iraq in July 1958; for the overthrow of the Imamate in Yemen and establishment of a Republican state after a civil war from 1962-1970 in which the Imamate was backed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt had 85,000 troops at its peak. Therefore, all monarchies in West Asia viewed Nasserite ideology as a very serious existential threat. Nasser’s closeness to the Soviet Union made matters worse. For these reasons India’s closeness to Nasser had long lasting negative fallout as it raised serious questions about India's intentions in the region.
India's relationship with Iraq under Saddam Hussein was close, multidimensional and fruitful. Indeed, it was probably India’s most valuable and productive bilateral relationship in West Asia during the Cold War period. India implemented dozens of projects in Iraq and provided military training, particularly for the Iraqi air force. Iraq was India’s leading oil supplier. And Saddam Hussein extended explicit political support in the context of India’s problems with Pakistan. Both countries were close to the Soviet Union. However, this was viewed negatively by almost all West Asian countries.