‘Why Indian Foreign policy should give top priority to neighbors?'​

                                                 

A resurgent economy with expanding global interests – India stands all set to rise into ‘New India’ carving its niche. India is the world’s most youthful nation in the world and it becomes a necessity for India to improve its stature as a key player in the world affairs and to promote and secure its self-interests. India’s rise is not free of hurdles and requires deep planning to withstand various global headwinds. As the world gears up for more bilateral and trilateral version, away from its target of creating a ‘global village’, India needs a strategy that can keep it safe from these volatile situations. A good grip over the resource rich neighborhood is a long term and strategically safe solution to it. India should focus on strengthening its relations with neighbors by giving a special impetus to it in its foreign policy.

To ramp up global influence and to hold on to its position as a regional power:

The diplomatic and economic relations with our neighborhood have been steadily increasing but that is outpaced by an aggressive China’s BRI project. Countries like Myanmar, Nepal, SriLanka have been swayed away to be a part of China’s ambitious project. Expansion of BRI easy movement of Chinese troops poses a threat to India’s sovereignty, trade and security. Prioritizing relations with neighbors and financial help to these countries can help in maintaining India’s position as a regional power and in protecting our interests. India occupies a special position in the region, economically and politically. Owing to this unique position, India has a potential vocation to become the driving force for greater regional peace and prosperity. Moreover, many Indian policy makers think, India’s long term prosperity and its rise as a global power hinges to some degree on a conflict free neighborhood.

Connectivity with the rest of the world:

The recognition that India’s own policy of connectivity with the rest of the world depend to some degree on a cooperative neighborhood. India, for example, needs a supportive Bangladesh to permit a gas pipeline to run from Myanmar to supply India’s northeast or it needs Pakistan and China to soften their stand to get a supply of Iranian and Russian petroleum into Indian supply. Regional integration must take precedence over politics. It is always in India’s favor to remain relevant to its neighbors and connectivity is a major policy.

Trade and Business opportunities:

India’s neighborhood comprises of highly populated countries that provide a vast market for a variety of goods and trade. India’s renowned IT industry can find resonance with the needs of these countries and should provide concessions for setting up its roots for long term trade relations. India should also evolve itself as a major exporter of modern technologies of aviation, artificial intelligence, infra development to these countries which will generate a lot of revenue in trade.

Indian subcontinent is a region of immense natural wealth and has the potential to harness it in a refined way. Poor regional coordination and superposing of political differences over economic

prospects has always hinged it to poverty and terrorism. India’s an economic and diplomatic power has a vital role to play by facilitating neighbors as a caretaker and by addressing their needs.

For example, political heat has inhibited the trade between India and Pakistan in just a few millions of dollars where the possibilities lie in multi-billion dollar trade.

India’s role as a defense hub:

India has the potential to fulfill the defense needs of its neighbors by exporting weapons, modernizing their armed forces and by sharing crucial intelligence inputs which will further help in establishing India’s position as a Big Brother and a prominent global power. Moreover deeper strategic and defense ties with the neighbors will also help India to enjoy more easy movement in the region.

Center of Tourism in the region:

India has traditionally been a tourism hotspot. However due to rapid technological advancements in various countries India could not remain competitive. By prioritizing its highly populated ‘neighborhood’ and ‘extended neighborhood’ India can regain its position. Policies like visa-on-arrival and visa-free access for these countries can improve bilateral ties and tourism. India can also emerge as a destination for educational and medical tourism in the region as it is much cheaper and better that it’s many competitors.

Sustained regional development:

Indian policy and industry should understand that India has to economically engage with and support its neighboring businesses as an essential prerequisite for sustained regional development. It should focus on making neighbors understand that economic development is possible only if region itself is integrated and enjoys wide ranging cooperation.

India’s small neighbors have always resented India’s ‘big brother’ attitude and could easily turn hostile if offered a better option by a rival power. An impression had taken hold in Nepal that Indian projects are marred by inordinate delays. Though there had been a one-way free trade agreement between Nepal and India, there has been little progress in investing in Nepal. Nepal remains economically isolated from India though it is dependent on the country for most of its needs. Indian foreign policy makers have not gone beyond the traditional conception of aid- of building roads and hospitals. To counter the negative sentiments in its neighborhood, India should focus on deliverables. India should derive benefits of the deep cultural and people-to-people relations that India shares with its neighbors and focus on growing these natural synergies through its redefined foreign policy.

Political differences emanating from perceptions and realities of the past and ongoing rivalry with China and Pakistan have combined to play out in the region, gradually diminishing India’s influence. Political differences have become a barrier to regional economic cooperation and development, undermining projects such as mutually beneficial India-Bangladesh-Myanmar gas pipeline, and efforts to fully utilize advantages of regional economic pacts like SAFTA and SAARC.

While India’s quest for energy has made deep inroads into central Asia and Africa, its attempts to draw its immediate neighborhood into a strategic energy and trade framework have been far less successful. With even a moderate improvement in its ability to deliver projects on time India, given its geopolitical significance, can gain a leg up on every other force in the region and has the capacity to be the epicenter of regional growth and integration.

In conclusion Indian government should focus on bilateral, trilateral and regional agreements with its neighborhood as a new pillar of its economic diplomacy. Neighborhood should be the priority of India’s foreign policy.