west Asia stands as a region of considerable significance for India
Answers
Answer:
WEST ASIA
India’s relations with the West Asian countries are historical since the independence. India has interests in economic, political, security and strategic fields with the West Asian nations.
India’s west Asia policy
For decades, India was a passive player in West Asia-a beneficiary of good relationships with multiple actors. Historically, India’s West Asia policy has been multi-directional.
During the Cold War years, India maintained close economic cooperation with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, the rival poles in regional geopolitics.
In the post-Soviet world: The bi-directional approach has been expanded to a tri-directional foreign policy to accommodate the three key pillars of West Asia — Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel.
Importance of west Asia for India
India has huge stakes involved in the region such as energy, trade and safety of Indian community in the region.
Energy security: 70 per cent of India’s imported energy needs come from West Asia and this dependence will only increase as the Indian economy continues to grow at 8 per cent or more.
Security of Indian community :
India is the largest recipient of foreign remittances from west Asia.
11 million Indians working in West Asia. Therefore, stability in the region is high on India’s core agenda.
To counter radicalization: close cooperation is essential to counter radicalization in India.
Gate way to central Asia : West Asia is gate way to land locked and energy rich central Asia .
Geostrategic importance: To reduce the influence of china in west Asia and in Arabian Sea. China is continuously making in road to west Asia through OBOR initiative.
Challenges in west Asia
Political instability
The security situation in West Asia has been continuously deteriorating ever since the onset of the Arab Spring in December 2010.
The internal security situation in Syria, Iraq and Yemen has gone from bad to worse. The regional powers continue to fight proxy wars on sectarian lines, pumping huge amount of money and weapons to bolster their favoured groups.
The involvement of extra-regional players such as the USA and Russia in the internal conflicts in West Asia has further aggravated the situation.
The GCC-Iran rivalry, Shia-Sunni conflict, external intervention in the region, the fear of rise of religious radicalism etc have further contributed to instability in West Asia .
Terrorism: Terrorism has emerged as the biggest security threat to the region. The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is the most disturbing trend.
Saudi-Iran rivalry: destabilizing West Asia and influencing West Asian geopolitics.
Pakistan factor : Pakistan is very close ally of many west Asian countries especially with GCC.
Shia- Sunni divide may impact internal security of India.
India’s close relation with Israel is another sore point with west Asia.
India’s close relation with Iran may antagonize Saudi Arabia. India has to balance its ties with all three regional power in west Asia-Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
India’s “Look West” policy
India adopted look west policy in 2005. However, the policy did not get much attention since 2005. Recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to number of west Asia countries has the potential to transform our engagement with West Asia.
Change in West Asian strategic thinking
Several factors have contributed to this fundamental shift in West Asian strategic thinking.
First, the structural change in the global energy market with West Asian oil and gas increasingly heading to South and East Asian markets rather than to the Trans-Atlantic markets.
Second, partly as a consequence of this change in flows and partly owing to the fiscal stress faced by the trans-Atlantic economies, West Asia is looking to India and other Asian powers to step in and offer security guarantees to the region. Many GCC states have welcomed defence cooperation agreements with India.
Third, in the wake of the Arab Spring and the mess in Egypt and Iraq, the Gulf states find India and China to be more reliable interlocutors than many western states.
Fourth, under pressure from radical and extremist political forces within West Asia, most states in the region have come to value the Indian principle of seeking and securing regional stability as an over-riding principle of regional security.
Analysis
“Look East” Policy succeeded because South-East Asia began to “look West” to India, seeking a balancer to China.
“Look West” Policy will succeed because West Asia is “looking East” worried about the emerging strategic instability in its own neighbourhood and the structural shift in the global energy market.
India-West Asia relation is the assertion of not just a “shared” past but of shared challenges in the present and a shared future.
Explanation:
MARK ME BRAINLIESTS
➤ West Asia includes Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey and Iran.
➤ India and West Asia enjoy pre-historical ties.
➤ Trade relations were established between the civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
➤ West Asia stands as a region of considerable significance for India, economically as well as strategically.
➤ West Asia is gateway to landlocked and energy-rich Central Asia.
➤ With the advent of the new millennium, there has been extraordinary turnaround in the relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and India.
➤ A trilateral agreement called the Chabahar Agreement was signed between India, Afghanistan and Iran, which has led to the establishment of transit and transport corridor among three countries using Chabahar port.
➤ This port is seen as golden gateway for India to access landlocked markets of Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan.