India’s turbulent neighbourhood

The return of great power competition has made the subcontinent even more complex.

- SANTISHREE DHULIPUDI PANDIT

India’s neighbourhood is currently undergoing one of its most turbulent phases in recent memory.

Across the subcontinent, political transitions, internal conflicts, and shifting alliances have created a climate of persistent instability. The region that once hoped for cooperative growth has become a mosaic of unrest. Yet, a large part of the current turbulence appears to be manufactured by external players, who focus on keeping India engaged without directly intervening in India’s rise as a global power. This turbulence has been instigated by external powers exploiting internal rifts to bring about undemocractic regime, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal and they now are working together for furthering the interests of that external power.

Pakistan is again sinking into political and economic decay. The recent military interference in civilian politics and growing unrest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa show that its internal fault lines are widening. Hatred for India remains the only glue that holds its fractured polity together, a substitute for governance and reform. Afghanistan continues to be a zone of instability with insecurity manifested in conflicts with both of its major neighbours, i.e., Iran and Pakistan. In the Maldives, sharp political swings and the rise of the “India Out” sentiment reflect how external influences manipulate local politics. In Sri Lanka, too, things are hardly normal. Economic mismanagement and overde-pendence on Chinese loans have created significant vulnerabilities.