The Middle East – the vast swathe of land that connects the ‘Gulf’ in India’s ‘extended neighbourhood’ to the rest of West Asia, and in many interpretations, the periphery of Europe to North Africa – is a geography where ‘hard power’ reigns. The emphasis on armed force, economic prowess, military muscle, and coercive authority as arbiters of state success has overshadowed the civilisational affinity across the sub-regions (referred to as the Maghreb, Levant, and the Gulf) through arts, commerce, faith, and philosophy.
Middle Eastern nations dealing with a fluid geopolitical landscape are pursuing a policy of multi-alignment. Meanwhile, straddling divides in the Middle East has been India’s forte. It has strengthened ties with Israel without fundamentally altering support for the Palestinian cause in the international fora. It deepened strategic engagement with the Gulf states yet nursed relations with Iran to foster connectivity with Central Asia and Afghanistan. Delhi abided by US banking restrictions on Iran but shied away from siding with US and Israeli assertiveness against Tehran. Sterner challenges lie ahead
Independent India’s interactions with the region have primarily been an engagement of ‘soft power.’ Barring forays in UN peacekeeping and a pragmatic relationship with Israel, Indian influence is built on historical connections, cultural links, and people-to-people ties, resulting in beneficial economic linkages.
Alas, such soft power impressions did not translate into a coherent strategic role. India was perceived as a benign giant but an actor of little consequence in the Middle East. India’s aversion to alliances during the Cold War and the US drawing Pakistan into initiatives like the MEDO (Middle East Defence Organisation), the Baghdad Pact, and CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation) meant that India mostly was a bystander in processes shaping the region, even though Nehru’s Nonaligned India made common cause with Nasser’s Egypt.
Since then, Indian engagement with the region has grown ‘invisibly.’ The number of Indians working primarily in the Gulf states has risen exponentially to nearly 10 million. India is the largest beneficiary of remittances globally. A third of the $125 billion annual remittances are from Indians in the Gulf. Flights repatriating Indians following conflicts in Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, or Yemen testify to their unobtrusive presence beyond the Gulf.
