Emerging Dynamics in West Asia: Implications for India

The Senior Research Officer at the Centre for National Security Studies introduced West Asia, one of the heaviest armed regions in the world and with it the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.  

The current scenario in West Asia has widespread implications for India and the rest of the world. India’s economic ties, the radicalisation of ideologies, cultural ties and protection of the Indian diaspora are some of the aspects worth looking into.  

The Director talked about the history of the relationship India has with West Asia.  

The Director further emphasised on the Cold-war and post-Cold War scenario in West Asia and how it transformed the terrain geopolitically.  

The speaker began his speech by describing the varied dimensions of the West Asian region vis-à-vis the economy, the energy sector and geopolitical areas of interest such as the Red Sea, the Bab al Mandeb and the Suez Canal. 

Keeping in mind the intense history of the region, the speaker discussed several important factors that have led to the present situation in West Asia. The rise and fall of ISIS, the Abrahamic Accords (that normalised the relationship between Israel and the Arab countries) and the Israel-Palestine issue remains the most dominant conflict, especially after the October 7 Attack.  

The new dynamic of West Asia can be seen forming with the Iran-Israel rivalry.  

The speaker also discussed the phenomena of ‘West Asia looking to the East’. He explained how different Asian countries like India, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are trying to invest extensively in the West Asian countries. The Gulf countries have been welcoming in this case.   

The speaker emphasised that to maintain cordial foreign relations with the West Asian countries with the Look West policy, PM Modi’s visit to the Gulf countries has been instrumental. However, to further boost economic ties, the speaker expects PM Modi to keep a cordial relationship with the other countries in the region that has been geopolitically and economically significant for India.  

The focus of the discussion was shifted to the growing India-UAE relationship with UAE being India’s third largest trading partner. The Rupee-Dirham Pact for trade transactions is also a significant development in this regards. 

The speaker then elaborated on the changing India-Israel relations, going beyond partnership in defence technology to the usage of technology in sectors like agriculture and water treatment.   

The role of China in West Asia was also discussed where it was emphasised how China is investing in certain countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE in selective sectors which overlaps with India and its interests. Here, China is trying to fill the vacuum that was earlier dominated by countries such as the USA, France, the UK and Russia.