GS Paper 2
Syllabus: India’s Foreign Policy
Context: Action Taken Report on ‘India’s Neighbourhood First Policy’ has been presented to Lok Sabha.
- Previously, the report on INDIA’S NEIGHBOURHOOD FIRST POLICY was submitted in July 2023.
What is India’s Neighborhood First Policy?
It emphasizes peaceful relations and collaborative development with South Asian neighbours. It covers diverse areas like economics, technology, connectivity, defence, and environment. The policy complements India’s Look East and Look West Policies, focusing on Southeast Asia and the Middle East respectively. It was initiated by Narendra Modi and furthered by key figures like Sushma Swaraj and S. Jaishankar, with support from NSA Ajit Doval and successive Foreign Secretaries.
Various aspects of India’s Neighbourhood First Policy:
- Priority to neighbouring countries: Emphasis on strong ties with immediate neighbours.
- Mutual respect and understanding: Based on shared interests and Panchsheel principles.
- Connectivity and infrastructure: Focus on physical and digital connectivity for trade and integration.
- Economic cooperation: Deepening economic ties through trade facilitation and investment.
- Security cooperation: Joint efforts to address security challenges like terrorism
- Cultural exchanges: Promoting friendship and understanding through cultural diplomacy.
Significance of India’s Neighbourhood First policy:
- Shared priorities:
- The Indian subcontinent is a single geopolitical unit with strong economic complementarities among its constituent parts.
- It is also a shared cultural space with deep and abiding affinities among the people of the countries of the subcontinent because of a long and shared history.
- Consolidating the interests of the subcontinent would offer a united strength and benefits are more for India.
- Both Sri Lanka and Nepal are facing severe economic setbacks, partly due to disruptions in the wake of Covid-19 and the loss of tourist earnings. India has extended a helping hand to both.
- Prioritising such neighbourhood needs has proved to be essential to ensure stability and healthy economic interactions at the global level too.
- Stability and security:
- Being the largest and most powerful country in this space, India’s security perimeter cannot be confined to its national borders.
- The challenge for Indian foreign and security policy lies in making certain that its neighbourhood remains peaceful, stable, and benign, without hostile presence.
- There is a leadership change in Pakistan, which offers the prospect of reviving the India-Pakistan engagement for peace and stability in the region.
- India has continued its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, ranging from the supply of wheat to cope with an unprecedented food shortage to the provision of materials for drug rehabilitation camps run by the UN.
- Central to connectivity:
- India is the biggest transit country for the subcontinent and has land borders with Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and maritime borders with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
- Given this, India should develop its role as the partner of choice for transit trade and transportation.
- This can create strong inter-dependencies with our neighbours which in turn will balance the mutual interests and security priorities.
- It is in India’s interest to promote regional economic integration. Reviving the strengths of SAARC is essential as it is the only available platform for the purpose.
- Voice of the Global South:
- India is emerging as the pivotal point to the Global South in voicing out the demands and carrying forward the interests.
- Given this, it is appropriate that India concentrates and uplifts the status of its neighbourhood to own the credibility to represent the cause of the other developing countries of the Global South.
Shortcomings of the policy:
- Pakistan factor: The strained relations between India and Pakistan have often impeded the progress of the Neighbourhood First Policy. Continual tensions between the two countries have limited the scope for meaningful cooperation within the region.
- Transnational terror: The rise of transnational terrorist groups in the region has posed challenges to the stability and security of neighbouring countries. Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is the greatest milestone event that increases the threat further.
- Rise of China: China’s geopolitical ambitions seen in infrastructure projects, investments, and growing presence in neighbouring countries (e.g. with Maldives currently) have raised concerns and created complexities for India’s regional engagement.
- Big brother perception: Despite India’s intentions of promoting equal and cooperative relations, there have been perceptions among some neighbouring countries of India’s dominance and a “big brother” approach. This perception has at times strained relations and hindered deeper cooperation like with Bangladesh and Nepal in the recent past.
- Lack of uniformity: The performance of the Neighbourhood First Policy has varied across different neighbouring countries.
Further measures:
- India’s relations with Bhutan continue to be in positive territory, but must not be taken for granted. They need to be nurtured on a continuing basis.
- There is some worry about Maldives and Bangladesh because domestic political rhetoric in India about illegal Bangladeshi migrants and their alleged involvement in communal riots may have a negative resonance.
- It is essential to ensure that the compulsions of domestic politics do not affect India’s foreign policy adversely.
Way forward:
- India must look into what our assets and liabilities are in each of the neighbouring countries, leverage the assets and minimise the liabilities.
- It should focus on working on self-strengths rather than seeking to catch up with what rivals may be doing.
Conclusion
Moving further, Indian foreign policy should prioritise creating effective and enduring incentives for our neighbours to remain sensitive to India’s interests.
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