{"id":261439,"date":"2023-09-23T18:35:40","date_gmt":"2023-09-23T13:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=261439"},"modified":"2023-09-23T18:35:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T13:05:40","slug":"india-and-the-great-power-contest-in-west-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/india-and-the-great-power-contest-in-west-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"India and the great power contest in West Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source <\/strong>– The post is based on the article \u201cIndia and the great power contest in West Asia\u201d <\/strong>published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d <\/strong>on 23rd September 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Syllabus: <\/strong>GS2- International relations<\/p>\n

Relevance – <\/strong>West Asian geopolitics and involvement of major powers<\/p>\n

News <\/strong>– At the G\u00ad20 summit in New Delhi, United States President Joe Biden and others unveiled a United States backed infrastructure project to connect India, West Asia and Europe with shipping lanes, rail networks, pipelines and data cables.<\/p>\n

What are the main components of Mr. Biden’s strategy for West Asia?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1) Reducing friction between Middle East countries: <\/strong>It is the continuation of the <\/span>Trump policy.<\/strong> Trump wanted to bring together <\/span>America’s two key allies<\/strong> in the region, the Gulf Arab states and Israel. The purpose is to address <\/span>shared geopolitical challenges,<\/strong> particularly related to the rise of Iran.<\/span><\/h2>\n

The <\/strong>Abraham Accords<\/strong><\/a> initiated transformation in Israel’s relationships<\/strong> with countries like the United Arab Emirates. This policy will fully succeed with a diplomatic agreement<\/strong> between Israel and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

The Biden administration believes that a Saudi-Israeli agreement<\/strong> can improve Arab-Israeli relations. <\/strong>Also, it will strengthen the US position<\/strong> in the region without additional military commitments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2) Strengthening US Presence in Middle East: <\/strong>Mr. Biden wants to reassure America’s friends and allies that the US remains <\/span>actively engaged<\/strong> in West Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2012, leaders from India, Israel, the United States, and the UAE held a virtual summit. It has since evolved into the I2U2 Mini lateral. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The I2U2 platform<\/strong> seeks to facilitate economic integration between West Asia and South Asia. <\/strong>It offers economic and technological solutions<\/strong> to the challenges faced by countries in the Global South.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the reasons behind the changes in US strategy for West Asia?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The United States has shifted its focus away from West Asia by<\/strong> deprioritized its security commitments<\/strong> in the region. It is increasing its focus on Eastern Europe and East Asia. <\/strong>However, the following factors have brough the US back in the region:<\/p>\n

China is heavily reliant on imports for over 70% of its oil needs<\/strong>. It is increasing its engagement with West Asia. <\/strong><\/p>\n

China has become the largest trading partner<\/strong> for America’s Gulf Arab allies<\/strong> and a significant investor<\/strong> in the region. China wants to play a more substantial role<\/strong> as a peacemaker.<\/strong> Iran-Saudi reconciliation agreemen<\/strong>t shows it.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the US cannot simply exit West Asia.<\/strong> Otherwise, China will fill the vacuum.<\/p>\n

What are the challenges in reengagement of US in the West Asia?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1) Rising trend of Independent foreign policies: <\/strong>The U.S.’s deprioritization<\/strong> of the region has weakened its influence on its allies. This has created a security vacuum, <\/strong>prompting regional powers to pursue more independent foreign policies.<\/strong> For example, Saudi-UAE d\u00e9tente<\/strong> with Iran, ending the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar<\/strong>, and Arab reconciliation <\/strong>with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are making policies that are not entirely dependent on U.S. <\/strong>objectives. Their decision to join the BRICS grouping is illustrative of this trend. They are no longer willing to remain as client states,<\/strong> as they were during the Cold War and the unipolar world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2) Reducing significance of Iran factor: <\/strong>The rivalry between Iran and Israel <\/strong>remains the central geopolitical tension in West Asia.<\/strong> Gulf Arabs don’t want to be entangled in the Iran-Israel rivalry. <\/strong>It would destabilise the region.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How is India\u2019s importance growing in the US policy for West Asia?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For India, the competition between the U.S. and China in West Asia presents new opportunities for engagement. <\/strong>It wants to involve India as a stable partner <\/strong>in shaping new rules for economic engagement and integration.<\/strong> India appears willing to embrace<\/strong> this role. Which is proved by the following events:<\/p>\n

1) India\u2019s participation in Abraham Accords.<\/p>\n

2) Announcement of India-Middle East-Europe Corridor<\/a> at G20.<\/p>\n

3) India\u2019s participation in I2U2 minilateral<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What should be the policy of India towards west Asia?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

India should grab this opportunity, but<\/strong>\u00a0should not view it through the lens of another Cold War. <\/strong><\/p>\n

India’s policy towards the region should be based on the concept of multi-faceted engagement <\/strong>rather than appeasing or containing any major power. <\/strong>By that, it would avoid the repeat of its Afghanistan policy.<\/p>\n

India is already a part of the International North-South Transport Corridor<\/strong>. The potential “Middle East Corridor ” would<\/strong> provide other economic opportunities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

India should aim to play a significant geopolitical role in West Asia and its extended neighbourhood <\/strong>without disrupting its traditional balance.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source – The post is based on the article \u201cIndia and the great power contest in West Asia\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 23rd September 2023. Syllabus: GS2- International relations Relevance – West Asian geopolitics and involvement of major powers News – At the G\u00ad20 summit in New Delhi, United States President Joe Biden and… Continue reading India and the great power contest in West Asia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10358,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,9],"tags":[212,10498],"class_list":["post-261439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-public","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":14,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1698412136},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10358"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261439\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}