{"id":195906,"date":"2022-07-16T20:46:15","date_gmt":"2022-07-16T15:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=195906"},"modified":"2022-07-18T09:48:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T04:18:07","slug":"i2u2-and-the-middle-power-great-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/i2u2-and-the-middle-power-great-game\/","title":{"rendered":"I2U2 And The Middle Power Great Game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the articles<\/p>\n

\u201cI2U2 And The Middle Power Great Game<\/strong>\u201d published in The Times of India<\/strong> on 16th Jul 22<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“I2U2 summit was made possible by India\u2019s nimble diplomatic moves, can provide a foothold for a greater role in West Asia<\/strong>” published in The Indian Express <\/strong>on 16th Jul 22<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Syllabus<\/strong>: GS2 – International Organisations and groupings<\/p>\n

Relevance<\/strong>: The new QUAD<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: In October 2021, Indian and Israeli foreign ministers sat together and created the \u2018West Asia Quad\u2019 with Anthony Blinken and Abdullah bin Zayed on a screen.<\/p>\n

Nine months later, Joe Biden is sitting with Yair Lapid (former foreign minister), now prime minister of Israel, with the Indian PM and Mohammed bin Zayed in technological proximity, to start of the first summit of the same Quad, renamed as \u2018I2U2\u2019.<\/p>\n

What are some opportunity areas for I2U2?<\/h5>\n

Connectivity:<\/b> The I2U2\u2019s emphasis on connectivity, transportation and a \u2018food corridor\u2019 should enable movement of critical supply chains seamlessly across South Asia, Gulf and Middle East all the way to the Mediterranean and southern Europe.<\/p>\n

One simple example is the Etihad Rail project<\/strong> that promises to link all of the Gulf with its partners by 2030. That could open up more than one market for India.<\/p>\n

Standards and benchmarks:<\/b> The new Quad will not only work to \u201creduce trade barriers, but also harmonise standards and benchmarks\u201d for production and trade. That\u2019s important for Indian agri exports, which suffer at the hands of phytosanitary issues.<\/p>\n

The setting of rules and benchmarks is a big component of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) signed just a couple of months ago. From technology to food and finance, these new plurilateral arrangements are bringing middle powers together to the new rules-making table.<\/p>\n

Regional integration:<\/b> India is hoping to make the most of the opportunities created by the Abraham Accords.<\/p>\n

Strategic quotient:<\/b> The region brings together the world\u2019s biggest stakeholders, and, for the first time in decades, the Middle East is not the source of the latest global problem.<\/p>\n

What are some factors that lead to the formation of I2U2?<\/h5>\n

A grouping like the I2U2 has been made possible by several developments:<\/p>\n

–<\/strong> In recent years, Delhi has responded to the new diplomatic and strategic dynamic<\/strong> in the region \u2014 by giving a political imprimatur to the relationship with Israel and engaging more deeply with the Gulf monarchies<\/p>\n

–<\/strong> The foreign office also seems to have shed its earlier wariness about the US\u2019s role in West Asia<\/strong>. Washington, in turn, seems both comfortable with and keen for India playing a more proactive role.<\/p>\n

The Abraham Accords of 2020, under which the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco now have formal ties with Israel too altered the diplomatic calculus in West Asia.<\/p>\n