India's “Look West” Policy In The Middle East

The “Look West” policy assumed significance and focussed attention in India’s policy approach with Prime Minister Modi’s remarks at the ‘Make in India’ conference in New Delhi on 26th September 2014, when he said, “For a long time Look East policy is under discussion, I would like to talk about Link West”.

- Dr. Khushnam P N*

Thenceforth, Indian policy and diplomatic outreach has put the region into a policy priority and the “Look West” policy became a bright spot on Indian policy pursuit and a multi-layered engagement began.

The strategic location of the Middle East and India’s multiple linkages from the past to the present make it immensely important for India’s pursuit of power. The previous government’s policies have been limited to energy security owing to intractable political fault lines and fractured socio-religious landscape in the region - like Arab-Israel contest and Iran-Saudi rivalry. The region has been the vital area of great power competition and conflicts and at the current juncture, it is characterised by a cocktail of the political rivalry of the regional powers, spiralling conflicts and unending violence with Arab Spring, terrorism and proxy wars. The absence of any regional organization with a pragmatic inclusive goal is further worsening the situation in this vital region.