Relations between India and Maldives In 2024 – Don’t overreact

Source: This post on India-Maldives Relations has been created based on the article “Express View on India-Maldives relations: Don’t overreact” published in “Indian Express” on 16^th January 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 International Relations – India and its neighborhood-relations.

News: The article discusses the recent developments in India-Maldives ties, especially Maldives’ insistence of the removal of Indian troops from Maldives.

A detailed article on India-Maldives relations can be read here.

What are The Recent Developments in India-Maldives Ties?

Since the election of Mohamed Muizzu as president, Maldives has been moving away from India and closer to China, as visible in the recent China-Maldives joint statement.

Maldives has proposed the removal of Indian troops by March 15.

For more on this, read here.

What are the Factors Affecting which Relation of India and Maldivian?

1) Internal Politics of Maldives: The withdrawal of Indian troops was an election promise by the current political leadership. It is not a strategic concern as India reportedly has less than 90 soldiers in Maldives.

2) Big-Brother Syndrome: Militarily, economically and strategically, India has a huge impact on its neighbors.

3) India’s Internal Politics: Some aspects of India’s internal politics, such as an expansionist rhetoric, religion, illegal migration, social media jingoism and calls for boycotting a smaller neighbor – may lead to an anti-India sentiment.

4) Geopolitics: Smaller countries like Maldives usually try to use the rivalries among greater powers (India and China) to their own advantage.

Why is Maldives Anti-India Stance Problematic?

It does not consider Maldives’ geography and convergent interests with India.

For instance, Maldives is only 700 km from the Indian coast and over 6,000 km from China. India was the first to help Maldives during the tsunami in 2004 and the drinking water crisis in 2014.

How Should India React To These Developments?

Delhi must continue to engage with the political leadership of Maldives as well as its people. As External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said – It can’t be guaranteed that every country will support or agree with India every time. Hence, as the regional power, it should not overreact to Maldives’ concerns.

Question for practice:

China’s growing influence in India’s neighbourhood is a threat to India’s aspirations as a strong regional power. Explain in the context of India-Maldives relations.