Within a week of the new Indian government assuming
office, South Block hosted two important events: the
foreign minister of Oman visited the new Indian minister
of external affairs, and a ministerial delegation from
Qatar followed shortly after, to hold foreign office
consultations with their Indian counterparts.
The timing of these visits is significant. It could indicate
some seriousness among the Indian leadership towards
deepening New Delhi’s engagement with West Asia.
Despite the overwhelming scale of historical and
economic linkages, Indian policy-making has not taken
substantial concentrated efforts towards expanding this
promising engagement.
A ‘Look West Policy’ (LWP) like India’s famed ‘Look
East Policy’ has often been spoken about, but there has
not been a formal institutionalisation of the same. This
will need a concentrated focus – like the LEP – for the
region, to formulate effective policies. While trade is a
significant component of this relationship, the essence
of the LWP will be the multi-dimensionality of its
character. As much as India trades with the region, also
important are the issues of security, culture, people-to-
people linkages, and those of a wider geopolitical and
geostrategic nature.
Look West Policy: Primary Rationales for Induction
Diaspora & remittances: The West Asian region is home
to millions of non-resident Indians; and they were
responsible for approximately half of the US$69 billion
worth of remittances that flowed into India in 2012.
However, the introduction of the Nitaqat laws in many
Gulf countries has resulted in several thousands of these
workers having to return to India. While it is unfair to
view the returnees as a liability, one cannot ignore the
economic and social impact of this mass re-migration.
India is not prepared to assimilate all these people into
its own economy just yet. Already, unemployment rates
are high, and the economy is not doing well. Job
creation will take a while, and until then, there will be
some strain on the economy.
Energy: India, being a growing economy, is perpetually
energy-hungry. West Asian nations are among the
primary suppliers of oil and gas that keep the Indian
economy running. Stable and more improved relations
between India and the region are key to securing and
expanding on these sources. Projects such as the Iran-
Pakistan-India pipeline lay suspended due to several
other reasons. However, proposed projects such as the
Oman-India Pipeline, an undersea gas pipeline – that
Iran too has expressed interest in – look promising.
India’s attempts at ensuring energy security therefore
cannot bypass engagements with the region.
Maritime security: Be it trade or energy supply routes,
or even national security, the significance of an effective
maritime security infrastructure in the Indian Ocean –
the maritime link connecting India with several of its key
West Asian partners – is pivotal to ensuring safety,
stability, and disaster-management for the region. The
Indian Ocean Region is a major geographical stretch
through which a large chunk of the world’s business is
conducted. Already, there is a constant threat of piracy
in the western Indian Ocean. A concentrated policy will
be needed to identify specific issues and areas of
cooperation between India and West Asia, in order to
ensure smooth and secure movement.
Furthermore, in recent times, there have been many
debates on the concept of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ to boost
connectivities between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific
Ocean. The two regions already have robust
connectivities, but more can be done. However, if this
concept of the Indo-Pacific has to become a reality,
there is a need for enhanced cooperation in various
areas among the key players in each region, before
connecting the regions. Eventually, the LWP and the LEP
can lay the foundations for the realisation of the ‘Indo-
Pacific’.
National and regional security: Any form of tumult in
the West Asian region invariably has an impact on India
and South Asia as a whole. For strategic reasons, India
seeks peace and political stability and security in the
West Asian region – sentiments reciprocated by the
countries of the region in their assessments towards
West Asia as well as South Asia. So far, India has been
pragmatic in its policies towards the West Asian region
–excellent examples of which are balancing its
relationships with Palestine and Israel; and Saudi Arabia
and Iran, among others.
However, there is more that needs to be done, and for
that, there needs to be better, more polished and astute
understanding of the region in our country – especially
in the light of the impending US withdrawal from
Afghanistan; the thawing in the US-Iran bilateral; the
ongoing civil war in Syria and its implications;
implementation of the Nitaqat policies in the Gulf
countries; and the rising fundamentalism, especially in
the franchisee-ing nature of terror networks, among
others.
These are among the primary reasons why India must
and will expedite its engagement with countries in West
Asia in the coming months. For the new government
that took office in May 2014 – one that won the
elections with a campaign based primarily on promises
of improved trade, economic development, employment,
investment and better infrastructure – there would not
be a more apt initiative to begin with than
institutionalising the LWP; updating, revolutionising and
expanding New Delhi’s linkages with India’s largest
trading partner-bloc, West Asia.
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