INDIA AND THE ASEAN NATURAL PARTNERS

India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are close partners, and together they can contribute positively to International politics.

- DR. DHANANJAY TRIPATHI*

India and Southeast Asia share similar worldviews – both are for multipolar, rule-based world order. India and Southeast Asia also believe in maintaining robust economic growth. Socially and culturally too Southeast Asia and India has much in common. Temples in Thailand, the celebration of Indian festivals like Diwali, performances of Ramayana in several countries of Southeast Asia exhibit this closeness. Explaining the India-Southeast Asia relations Prof. S.D Muni and Rahul Mishra divided it into seven waves. According to Muni and Mishra, the first was the ancient Hindu-Buddhist influence; second was the Islamic wave, the third wave was the British era, the fourth wave was led by Nehru, post-Nehru is the fifth wave, the sixth wave is India’s Look East policy, and the seventh wave is the Act East policy of the Modi government.

The post-colonial India under the first Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru gave a call for Asian solidarity. In this Jawaharlal Nehru was personally taken a keen interest in expanding New Delhi footprints in different regions, particularly in Southeast Asia. India had supported Burma after its independence in 1948, and Nehru advocated decolonization of Indonesia. Several Southeast Asian countries also joined the call of India to establish a Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) to keep the developing countries out of bloc politics. Still, the Cold War finally gripped Southeast Asia and India due to its strong commitment to NAM somewhat ignored the region. Thus, during the Cold War period, India and Southeast Asia failed to build strong political and economic relations despite the socio-cultural affinity.