BALANCING DIPLOMACY AND NATIONAL INTEREST: INDIA'S EVOLVING FOREIGN POLICY ENGAGEMENT WITH WEST ASIAN NATIONS

Abstract

India's Cold War foreign policy towards the West Asian countries has changed significantly, from an ideological to an interest-based multi-vector policy. India's West Asian policy has been shaped by the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and is dominated by three sets of policy priorities, namely, energy security, economic integration, and the welfare of India's large population of expatriates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area. The paper examines Indian bilateral ties and strategic shifts in India's relationship with the Arab Gulf states, Israel, Iran, and Egypt in the period from 2000 to 2023, with a particular emphasis on their structural dynamics. Based on primary documents, reports in the Ministry of External Affairs, and bilateral trade statistics, the study reveals that India has been actively engaged in a policy of multi-alignment, as it has developed close ties with both the “problematic” states of Israel and Saudi Arabia, and maintained a delicate relationship with Iran despite the Western sanctions. The paper also probes into the emerging role of ‘diaspora diplomacy', ‘soft power projection', and ‘defence diplomacy' in India's foreign policy toolkit in the region. The findings confirm the Indian approach of 'strategic autonomy' in the matter of India's engagement with West Asia in an existential context to India's national interest.