India & Neighborhood
- relations with neighbor significantly shape its foreign policy, regional stability
- sharing deep historical, cultural & economic ties, india aims to foster peace, cooperation & mutual prosperity in south asia
Framework of Foreign Policy
| Component | Details |
|---|
| Determinants | Geostrategic locations - S.Asia, IOR |
| Security - terrorism, china - pak |
| Trade, FDI, Energy |
| Diaspora |
| Leadership - NAM, Autonomy |
| Global power dynamics |
| Tech, climate goals |
| policy formulation mech | MEA, PMO, |
| Think tanks - ORF, IDSA |
| RAW, IB, Military intelligence |
| economic ministries |
| Policy areas | Bilateral - visits, dialogues |
| multilateral: UN, BRICS, G20, QUAD |
| Strategic ties - US, ASEAN, Africa, Russia |
| Economic tools: FTA, Aid, LoC |
| Cultural, Defence |
| HADR |
Neighborhood first policy
- AIM: promote regional stability & growth via people centric non reciprocal engagement
- 4 Pillars
- diplomatic priority to neighborhood
- developmental support
- regional connectivity & integration
- india led comfortable regionalism
Evolution:
- British - neighbors as buffer states
- Nehru: family approach: unity, security, limited economic linkage
- Indira Gandhi: realism, strategic assertiveness
- 1996 Gujaral Doctrine
- Manmohan: economic interdependence
- post 2014: proactive engagement w/ neighbors for connectivity, cooperation, peace
Determinants of NFP
- leverage strategic location of India
- revive platforms eg SAARC
- eco coop: BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement 2015
- bilateral issue resolution through mutual agreement eg. India-USA BTA Talks
- connectivity: MoU
- defence coop: Defence Exercises
- Disaster response eg. Brahma (Myanmar), HADR
- capacity building
Way forward for neighborhood engagement
- regular high level dialogue & visits
- P2P ties, cultural links, tourism
- security cooperation, intelligence sharing, counter terror coordination
- economic engagement: cross border infra, border projects eg. India Bangladesh energy ties
- strengthen sub regional forums: deepen BBIN, BIMSTEC
Challenges in NFP
| Challenge | details |
|---|
| Civilizational vs territorial | colonial boundaries, terrain issues, local politics |
| boundary disputes | kashmir, aksai chin, arunachal, kalapani, kachchatheevu |
| limited resolution success | despite partial resolutions, new problems crop up |
| Security threats | ethnic spillover, illegal migration, terror bases |
Why border disputes persist
| Reason | Details |
|---|
| Colonial Legacy | Kashmir conflict 1947 partition |
| Domestic politics | Nationalism influences border stances eg. India China disputes |
| Trust deficit | Kalapani issue w/ Nepal due to poor dialogue mechanism |
| Geopolitics | China pakistan ties hinder Kashmir solution |
Way forward for border disputes
- regional forums for dialogue & resolution eg. SAARC
- arbitration, binding agreements (legal soln)
- institutionalise talks & reduce brinkmanship
- CBM: joint patrols, cultural links, academic exchanges
- Track II: informal problem solving via think tanks, NGO, Exports
River disputes in S.Asia
| Country | Dispute | Issue |
|---|
| Pakistan | Indus Treaty 1960 | Kishanganga, IWT Freeze post 2025 attack |
| Bangladesh | Ganga, Teesta | Teesta deadlock due to WB opposition TODO: update |
| Nepal | Mahakali, Koshi | Flooding, project delays, treaty implementation gaps |
| China | Brahmaputra dams | Chinese dam building (water diversion fears) |
Way forward for river
- strengthen joint river commissions
- legally binding, equitable treaties eg. Ganga treaty, Mahakali Treaty
- invest in water infra, flood control
- promote basin wide env collab
Trade barriers in S.Asia
| Barriers | Details |
|---|
| Protectionism | india pak trade halted post conflicts |
| Poor connectivity | high transport costs, terrain issues |
| Weak institutions | SAARC stalled since 2014, SAPTA/FTA underused |
| lack of political will | MFN not granted by Pak to India |
| Export competition | India & Bangladesh both compete in Textiles |
Way forward for trade
- reframe FTA eg. India Sri Lanka FTA, BIMSTEC
- remove NTB
- boost infra: roads, waterways
- learn from global trade corridors eg. sub saharan
| Concern | Details |
|---|
| Economic challenge | CPEC alters regional trade dynamics |
| security threat | border tension Galwan |
| Diplomatic losses | China’s growing ties w/ Nepal, Maldives |
| Strategic encirclement | 99yr lease of Hambantota port, SL |
| UNSC, Kashmir issues | China blocks sanction against pak based terrorists |
Way forward for China issue
- Gujaral doctrine: use soft diplomacy & non reciprocity
- revive SAARC
- accelerate projects eg. KMTTP
- leverage QUAD for connectivity, international suppot
- offer soft loans to neighboring nations
Terrorism
| Issue | Details |
|---|
| CBT | 2025 Pahalgham, Rajouri village |
| Proxy warfare | JeM, LeT ops from Pak |
| Terror safe havens | Afghan taliban hosted in Pak |
| trade disruption | India revoked MFN status post Pulwama |
Way forward for terror
- strengthen SAFTA through liberal trade
- boost SAARC/BIMSTEC counterterrorism dialogue
- Join SCO RATS for security coordination
- dialogue to reduce nuclear escalation risks
- promote conflict resolution & trust building diplomacy