India’s Foreign Policy

By vishnu Rankawat
For notes - 9549019854
 Vishnu Rankawat
Research scholar, JNU New Delhi
M.A in political science (Rajasthan University)
Qualified UGC NET – JRF June 2020
Contact - 9549019854
YouTube channel – we can
Indus Waters Treaty
• The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution
treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the
World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus
River and its tributaries.
• The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in Karachi on
19 September 1960 by Jawaharlal Nehru and Ayub
Khan
• It classified the six rivers of Indus River System into
Eastern and Western rivers.
• The Eastern rivers included Sutlej, Beas and Ravi;
while western rivers included Jhelum, Chenab and
Indus. Out of these, Indus and Sutlej rise in China
while rest four rise in India.
 • All of them enter from India to Pakistan. India was
given full rights over eastern rivers while India had
to let the western rivers water flow unrestricted to
Pakistan.

India has signed Comprehensive Economic

Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with three countries
1. Singapore in 2005
2. South Korea in 2009
3. Japan in2011

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• PM Modi said, “The Sun is the source of all energy.
The world must turn to solar, the power of our
future”.
• It is an alliance of the “sunshine countries” i.e., the
countries lying in between the two tropics – Tropic
of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn with an objective
of efficient utilization of the solar energy.
• The alliance was formed with the intent to reduce the
dependence on non-renewable sources of energy like
fossil fuels.
• Modi referred to the sun-rich countries as
“Suryaputras” and spoke about the huge potential of
these countries to make use of the abundant natural
resource, solar energy.
• The International Solar Alliance is a group of nations
that lies within the Tropics (Tropic of Cancer and
Tropic of Capricorn) and receive sunshine for more
than 300 days.
• It is a platform for the collaboration of sunshine
countries in the domain of energy security.
• The underlying rationale for ISA is to “ensure access
to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy for all”,
• It also plans to increase the share of renewable
energy substantially by 2030.
• Headquarters of ISA will be in India Interim
Secretariat of the ISA in National Institute of Solar
Energy (NISE), Gwalpahari, Gurgaon,
• ISA is the first organization in the world, which will
have a sole focus on solar energy, unlike IEA
(International Energy Agency), IRENA
(International Renewable Energy Agency) and REEP
(Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Partnership), which work on other renewable sources
of energy as well.
• The United Nations is a partner for ISA, unlike in
other organizations. ISA is tilted more towards action
 rather than only scholarly research and theory
building
• The Alliance has a 24×7 Solar Cyber Centre. This
will give open access to all nations for advice and
information on many projects and financial
innovation.

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was an
international organization for collective defense in
Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective
Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September
1954.

Founded: 8 September 1954

Headquarters: Bangkok, Thailand

Dissolved: 30 June 1977

Abbreviation: SEATO

Baghdad Pact
The Central Treaty Organisation, originally known as the
Baghdad Pact or the Middle East Treaty Organisation,
was a military alliance of the Cold War.

It was formed in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and

the United Kingdom and dissolved in 1979.

Founded: 24 February 1955, Pakistan

Headquarters: Ankara
Abbreviation: CENTO

Dissolved: 16 March 1979

Facts -
• Indo us nuclear treaty – 18 July 2005

• Indo soviet friendship treaty and cooperation –

august 1971

• Tashkent Declaration- 10 January 1966

Tashkent Declaration was a peace agreement
between India and Pakistan signed on 10 January
1966 that resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

• Simla agreement - 4 August 1972

• The Simla Agreement, or Shimla Agreement, was
signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972
in Shimla, the capital city of the Indian state of
Himachal Pradesh
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
• Non-Aligned Movement’s online summit titled
"United Against Covid-19" conducted on May 4,
2020

Background
• The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the
Cold War as an organization of States that did not
seek to formally align themselves with either the
United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to
remain independent or neutral.
• The basic concept for the group originated in 1955
during discussions that took place at the Asia-Africa
Bandung Conference held in Indonesia.
• The first NAM Summit Conference took place in
Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.
• It has 120 members (AZERBAIJAN is last
country which join NAM in 2011) as on April
 2018 comprising 53 countries from Africa, 39 from
Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and
2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan). There are 17
countries and 10 international organizations that
are Observers at NAM.

• The Non-Aligned Movement was founded and held

its first conference (the Belgrade Conference) in
1961 under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of
Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt,
Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of
Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.
• The purpose of the organization was enumerated in
Havana Declaration of 1979 to ensure "the national
independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and
security of non-aligned countries" in their struggle
against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism,
racism, and all forms of foreign subjugation.
 • During the cold war era the NAM played a vital role
in stabilizing the world order and preserving peace
and security. Non alignment of NAM doesn't mean
the neutrality of state on global issues, it was always
a peaceful intervention in world politics.

Principles
• As J.L Nehru was founding members, the principles
of NAM was largely guided by Panchsheel
principles, some of them are:
• Respect for the principles enshrined in the charter of
the United Nations and international law.
• Respect for sovereignty, sovereign equality and
territorial integrity of all States.
• Peaceful settlement of all international conflicts in
accordance with the charter of the United Nations.
• Respect for the political, economic, social and
cultural diversity of countries and peoples.
• Defence and promotion of shared interests, justice
and cooperation, regardless of the differences
existing in the political, economic and social systems
of the States, on the basis of mutual respect and the
equality of rights.
• Respect for the inherent right of individual or
collective self-defence, in accordance with the
charter of the United Nations
• Non-interference in the internal affairs of States. No
State or group of States has the right to intervene
either directly or indirectly, whatever the motive, in
the internal affairs of any other State.
• Promotion and defence of multilateralism and
multilateral organisations as the appropriate
 frameworks to resolve, through dialogue and
cooperation, the problems affecting humankind.

Objectives
• NAM has sought to "create an independent path in
world politics that would not result in member States
becoming pawns in the struggles between the major
powers."
• It identifies the right of independent judgment, the
struggle against imperialism and neo-colonialism,
and the use of moderation in relations with all big
powers as the three basic elements that have
influenced its approach.
• At present, an additional goal is facilitating a
restructuring of the international economic order.
NAM in Cold War Era
• Against Apartheid: The evil of apartheid was
massively prevalent in African countries like South
Africa, its was on the agenda of NAM right from
first conference. During 2nd NAM conference at
Cairo the government of South Africa was warned
against the discriminatory practices of apartheid.
• Disarmament: The Non-aligned Movement
repeatedly comes out for maintenance of peace,'the
cessation of arms race and the peaceful coexistence
of all States. In the General Assembly, India
submitted a draft resolution declaring that the use of
nuclear weapons would be against the charter of the
United Nations and crime against humanity and
should therefore be prohibited.
 • UNSC reforms: Right from its inception NAM was
in the favour of UNSC reforms, it was against the
domination of US and USSR. It wanted the
representation of third world countries to make
UNSC more democratic. Members echoed with same
demand at 17th NAM conference at Venezuela.
• Failed to resolve regional tensions: In the era of
cold war the tension in South Asia escalated due to
regional conflict between India- China and India-
Pakistan. NAM failed to avoid tensions in the region,
that further led to the the nuclearisation of the region.

India’s Position
• India being a founder and largest member in NAM
was an active participant in NAM meetings till 1970s
but India’s inclination towards erstwhile USSR
 created confusions in smaller members. It led to the
weakening of NAM and small nations drifted
towards either US or USSR.

• Further disintegration of USSR led the unipolar

world order dominated by US. India’s New
Economic Policy and inclination towards US raised
questions over India’s seriousness over non
alignment.
• Prime Minister of India skipped the 17th Non
Aligned Movement (NAM) summit held in
Venezuela in 2016, it was only second such instance
when Head of a state didn’t participate in NAM
conference.
• Moreover, NAM continued losing relevance for India
in a unipolar world, especially after the founding
members failed to support India during crisis. For
 instance, during 1962 War with China, Ghana and
Indonesia, adopted explicitly pro-China positions.
During 1965 and 1971 wars, Indonesia and Egypt
took an anti India stance and supported Pakistan.
• India in particular, but also most other NAM
countries, have integrated themselves to varying
degrees within the liberal economic order and have
benefited from it.
• India is a member of the G20 and has declared itself
as a nuclear weapons power and has for all
practical purposes abandoned the call for global
nuclear disarmament.
• India has also engaged itself with new and old global
powers. India joining the Quadrilateral Security
Dialogue, a coalition seen by many as a counterforce
to China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific and Shanghai
 cooperation organisation led by China shown
India’s balancing approach in new world order.
• India is striving hard for a multipolar world order and
asserting itself as one of the player. Multi polar
world order is very much closed to NAM principles.

Emerging Global Order

• NAM has to adopt and change itself to suit the newly
emerging challenges and geopolitics such as:
• World has again moved towards bi-polarity, one led
by US and other by China-Russia. The war torn
syria is prime example of this, where both US and
Russia is asserting power.
• The escalating tension in Indo-pacific region due to
China’s assertion and US acting as a counterweight
to check the Chinese expansionist policy.
 • The large scale migration in Europe and Asia due
to the unstable regimes and ethnic conflict in
different parts of world.
• Issue of global climate change and occurence of
catastrophic disasters raising demand to form
global consensus to deal with it.
• Changing US policies, protectionism, prevalent
terrorism and nuclearisation of middle east.
• Formation of multiple regional economic
groupings like TPP and RCEP and fading away of
multilateral bodies WTO from global arena.

Relevance of NAM
• NAM continues to hold relevance as a platform and
due to its principles.
• World peace - NAM has played an active role in
preserving world peace.It still stands by its founding
principles, idea and purpose i.e. to establish the
peaceful and prosperous world. It prohibited invasion
of any country, promoted disarmament and a
sovereign world order.
• Territorial integrity and sovereignty - NAM stands
with this principle and proved its repeated relevance
with the idea of preserving the independence of
every nation.
• Third World nations - Third world countries
fighting against socio-economic problems since they
have been exploited for a long time by other
developed nations, NAM acted as a protector for
these small countries against the western hegemony.
• Support of UN - NAM’s total strength compromises
of 118 developing countries and most of them being
 a member of UN General Assembly. It represents
two third members of general assembly, hence NAM
members act as important vote blocking group in
UN.
• Equitable world order - NAM promotes equitable
world order. It can act as a bridge between the
political and ideological differences existing in the
international environment.
• Interest of developing countries - If disputes arise
between developed and developing nation at any
point of a concerned topic for example WTO, then
NAM act as a platform which negotiates and
conclude disputes peacefully securing the favorable
decisions for each member nation.
• Cultural diversity and human rights - In the
environment of gross human right violation, it can
 provide a platform to raise such issues and resolve
the same through its principles.
• Sustainable development - NAM supported the
concept of sustainable development and can lead the
world toward sustainability. Can be used as larger
platform to make consensus on global burning issues
like climate change, migration and global
terrorism.
• Economic growth - The countries of NAM has
inherent assets, such as a favourable demography,
demand and favourable location. The cooperation
can lead them to higher and sustainable economic
growth. Can be an alternative to regional groupings
like TPP and RCEP.

Summary
• NAM as a concept can never be irrelevant,
principally it provides a strong base to foreign policy
of its members.
• It should be seen as “Strategic Autonomy”, which is
the need of the hour of today’s world. The principles
of NAM still can guide the nations towards it.
• NAM is a platform where India can assert its soft
power and provide an active leadership and by being
a torchbearer for smaller countries at multilateral
platforms.
• The conference of Heads of the State or Government
of the Non-Aligned Countries, often referred to as
Non-Aligned Movement Summit is to be held in
Azerbaijan in June 2019. Platform should be used for
consensus making on spectrum of global issues.
 • It should be used as a platform to raise global issues
like terrorism, climate change and trade
protectionism and others.
• NAM platform can be used to garner support by
South-East Asian countries like Vietnam, Malaysia,
Indonesia and Philippines against Chinese assertion
in South China Sea and related island and border
disputes.
• NAM can provide a platform for Afro-Asian
cooperation and a strong position for poor African
nation to have healthy negotiations with China and
US for economic development without
compromising the sovereignty of their land.

India’s Nuclear Policy

• Amidst heightened tensions between India and
Pakistan, Defence Minister of India has recently said
 that the 'no first use nuclear policy' of India may
change in the future.

What is a Nuclear Doctrine?

• A nuclear doctrine states how a nuclear weapon
state would employ its nuclear weapons both
during peace and war.
• The doctrine helps to establish deterrence vis-à-vis
adversary.
• Through the nuclear doctrine a state can
communicate its intention and resolve to the
enemy.
• The doctrine also guides the state’s response during
war.

Historical Background
 • Nuclear programme of India was initiated in the late
1940s under the guidance of Homi J. Bhabha.
• Nehru was against nuclear weapons so he pleaded
with the superpowers for comprehensive nuclear
disarmament. However, the nuclear arsenal kept
rising.
• When Communist China conducted the nuclear tests
in October 1964, the five nuclear powers (US,
USSR, UK, France, and China) also the five
Permanent Members of the UN Security Council had
tried to impose the Nuclear Non-proliferation
Treaty (NPT) of 1968 on the rest of the world.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

• Signed in 1968, the treaty entered into force in
1970, now has 190 member states. It requires
countries to give up any present or future plans to
 build nuclear weapons in return for access to
peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
• Three main objectives of the treaty are non-
proliferation, disarmament, and the right to
peacefully use nuclear technology.
• India is one of the only five countries that either
did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew, thus
becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel,
North Korea, and South Sudan.
• India always considered the NPT as discriminatory
and had refused to sign it.
• India has opposed the international treaties aimed at
non-proliferation since they were selectively
applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised
the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.
• The first nuclear explosion undertaken by India in
May 1974.
• India argued that it was committed to the policy of
using nuclear power only for peaceful purposes.
• India opposed the indefinite extension of the NPT in
1995 and also refused to sign the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

• India conducted a series of nuclear tests in May

1998, demonstrating its capacity to use nuclear
energy for military purposes.
• Pakistan soon followed, thereby increasing the
vulnerability of the region to a nuclear exchange.
• The international community was extremely critical
of the nuclear tests in the subcontinent and sanctions
were imposed on both India and Pakistan, which
were subsequently waived.
• After the 1998 nuclear test India also enunciated a
doctrine of 'No First Use’ (NFU) of nuclear
weapons.

• The doctrine was formally adopted in January,

2003, and says that nuclear weapons will only be
used in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian
territory or on Indian forces anywhere.
• Since the adoption of nuclear doctrine, India has
said consistently that its nuclear weapons were
based on staggering and punitive retaliation, in
case the deterrence has failed.
• Pakistan, by contrast, has openly threatened India
with the use of nuclear weapons on multiple
occasions beginning from the time the two nations
were not even acknowledged nuclear powers.
Advantages of NFU
• The NFU policy facilitates restrained nuclear
weapons programme without tactical weapons and
a complicated command and control system.
• The doctrine minimises the probability of nuclear
use by avoiding the deployment of weapons on hair-
trigger alert and keeping an arms-race in check.
• The doctrine also reduces the chances of
unnecessary chaos as the onus of taking the decision
to escalate a nuclear use lies on the adversary.
• Strict adherence to the doctrine can strengthen
India’s efforts to gain membership in Nuclear
Supplier Group (NSG) and United Nations
Security Council (UNSC).

Arguments Against NFU

 • The idea of no-first-use (NFU) of nuclear weapons
has been rejected by some nuclear weapons states
and accepted only at the declaratory level by most, if
not by all of the others.
• Nuclear weapons are often seen as an antidote to
conventional inferiority as the inferior party will
seek to deter conventional attack by threatening a
nuclear response.
• The first-use nuclear doctrine introduces an element
of nuclear risk to any war contemplated by the
superior state as it is hard for the potential attacker to
confidently calculate that it can achieve victory at an
acceptable cost when there is a possibility of nuclear
escalation.

Cuban Missile Crisis and MAD Doctrine

• The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most
intense confrontation between the Soviet Union and
the United States during the entire course of the Cold
War.
• The Cold War nearly became hot on October 16,
1962, when the White House became aware of the
Soviet missiles present in Cuba.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis is widely regarded as the
boiling point of the nuclear arms race, when fears
of thermonuclear war between the Soviet Union and
the United States seemed not only plausible, but even
possible.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis was the ultimate byproduct
of MAD, or mutual assured destruction, a strategic
military doctrine in which the use of nuclear
weapons on a full scale would theoretically result in
the destruction of both the attacker and the defender.
 • This strategy ultimately sends both parties into an
endless loop of increased military budgets.
• In India the NFU policy has been called into question
on the grounds that it allows Pakistan to take the
initiative while restricting India’s options
militarily and puts India in a disadvantageous
position.
• Pakistan’s low nuclear thresholds and its policy of
using its nuclear umbrella to foment sub-
conventional conflict in India is the principal
reason behind the debate around India’s ‘no first use’
policy.

Implications of Abandoning NFU for India

• Withdrawing the NFU policy and making a
declaration to that effect can affect India’s status as
a responsible nuclear power.
• Such a step will abrogate India’s commitment to
the universal goal of nuclear disarmament and
upset the regional balance in the sub-continent.
• Further, abrogating the doctrine would signal a first
use posture by India, thus reducing the space for
conventional warfare below the nuclear threshold.
This could also severely corrode India’s ability to
limit Pakistan’s offensive tactics and policies at the
conventional level.
• Moreover, China’s expansionist policies cannot be
deterred by revising the doctrine, the decision to
abandon the doctrine can send a deliberate signal of
provocation to China.
• Nuclear preemption is a costly policy as it requires
massive investment not only in weapons and delivery
systems but also intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) infrastructure.

• India would require a far bigger inventory of

nuclear weapons particularly as eliminating
adversaries’ nuclear capabilities would require
targeting of its nuclear assets involving multiple
warheads.
• India is yet to induct the Multiple Reentry Vehicle
(MRV) technology in its missiles, which is
fundamental to eliminating hardened nuclear targets.
• First use doctrine will also require to devolves
control of nuclear weapons from the scientific
enclave to the military for their eventual use.
• Moreover, the after effects of the nuclear fallout,
depending on the magnitude of nuclear explosions,
could pose existential threats to humanity itself.

• As security is a dynamic concept and all doctrines

needs periodic reviews. Same is the case with India.
• If Indian policymakers feel a need to review the
nation’s nuclear doctrine, they should be cognizant
of the costs involved in doing so.
• A sound policy debate can only ensue if the costs and
benefits of a purported policy shift are discussed and
debated widely.
• Also, India must gradually revise its posture of
‘active deterrence’ to ‘dissuasive deterrence’ by
building up its infrastructure along the border and
improving the surveillance and warning capabilities
among other things.
 • Like India, China too has an NFU policy so it
provides an opportunity to work jointly towards a
global no first use nuclear order.

India-US Relations
India-USA: History of Relations
• The birth of Indian Republic was accompanied by
Pakistan’s occupation of Kashmir. Nehru’s efforts to
garner support from the international community was
fruitless.
• India declined the American offer to accept a seat at
the United Nations Security Council and rather
pushed for the membership of the People’s Republic
of China which it has immediately recognized as a
sovereign nation.
• In the year 1950, India abstained from a US-
sponsored resolution calling for UN’s military
involvement in the Korean War. India even voted
against UN forces crossing the 38th Parallel and
naming China as an aggressor.
• 1955: Pakistan officially aligned with the United
States via the South East Asian Treaty Organization
(SEATO) and Central Treaty Organization (CEATO)
also known as Baghdad Pact. Meanwhile, India,
being the chief proponent of Non-Alignment
Movement (NAM), held the first Afro-Asian
Conference at Bandung, Indonesia.

• The rogue state of Pakistan became an important ally

to the US in the containment of the Soviet Union,
giving rise to strategic complications with India.
• In the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the US extended help
to India against China’s belligerence by sending an
American carrier- The Enterprise- to the Bay of
Bengal. China, however, had declared unilateral
ceasefire the next day. Indian leaders and public
welcomed American intervention.
• 1966: In response to India’s criticism of the US
intervention in Vietnam, President Lyndon B.
Johnson restricted the supply of grain shipments to
India under Public Law 480 programme.
• 1967: A predominantly Anti-American worldview
led India to reject a founding membership in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• 1968: India rejected the Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT) proposed by the world’s leading nuclear
powers.
• 1971: The USA had maintained a studious silence on
Pakistan’s repressive policies in East Pakistan. The
then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited Delhi
to make India comply to not support liberation
movements in East Pakistan.
• Indira Gandhi’s intransigence was met with
diplomatic muscle-flexing. Next month, India signed
a Treaty of Friendship, Peace and Cooperation with
the Soviet Union, seen as a blatant shift from India’s
Non-Alignment policies.
• US President Richard Nixon in a retaliatory move
chose to explicitly tilt American policy in favour of
Pakistan and suspended $87 million worth of
economic aid to India. American naval fleet USS
Enterprise traversed the Bay of Bengal, issuing mild
threats. India won the Bangladesh Liberation War as
the Pakistani Army embarrassingly surrendered more
than 90,000 troops.
• 1974: India conducted its first nuclear weapon test at
Pokhran, and it came as a major jolt to the USA who
made plans to upgrade its presence at Diego Garcia,
a British-controlled island in the Indian ocean.
• 1975: India faced considerable domestic turmoil and
entered into a state of Emergency.
• 1977: The Emergency ended and the US immediately
eased restrictions it has placed on World Bank loans
to India and approved direct economic assistance of
$60 million.
• 1978: US President Jimmy Carter and Indian Prime
Minister Desai exchanged visits to each other’s
nations.
• The 1980s: Large amounts of military aid was
pumped into Pakistan by the USA in order to fight a
proxy against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. This
created significant repercussions in the internal
 security of India as the Pakistani mujahedeen fighters
infiltrated into Kashmir as militants.
• 1988: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made a historic
visit to China which led to normalization of relations
between India and China.
• 1990: India hesitatingly provided a brief logistical
support for American military operations in the Gulf
War.
• Post-1991: The Soviet Union disintegrated into
independent nations and the United States emerged
as the single largest hegemon, making the world
unipolar. It coincided with India opening doors to
foreign private capital in its historic Liberalization,
Privatization, and Globalization move. Trade
between India and the US grew dramatically and is
flourishing today.
 India-US Civil Nuclear Deal
• The deal is seen as a watershed in India-USA
relations and introduces a new aspect to international
nonproliferation efforts.
• Since July 18, 2005, the deal lifts a three-decade U.S.
moratorium on nuclear trade with India.
• It provides U.S. assistance to India’s civilian nuclear
energy program and expands India-USA cooperation
in energy and satellite technology.

Terms of the deal

• India agrees to allow inspectors from the
International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA),
the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog group, access
to its civilian nuclear program. By March 2006, India
 promised to place fourteen of its twenty-two power
reactors under IAEA safeguards permanently.
• India commits to signing an Additional Protocol
(PDF)-which allows more intrusive IAEA
inspections of its civilian facilities.

The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010

• The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND)
Bill, 2010 fixes liability for nuclear damage and
specifies procedures for compensating victims.

India-US Trade Relations

• The U.S. is the fifth largest source of foreign direct
investments into India.

India-US Defence Cooperation

 • India participated in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC)
exercise in July-August 2016.
• The agreements signed during the past one year
include:
• Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Association
(LEMOA)
• Fuel Exchange Agreement
• Technical Agreement (TA) on information sharing
on White (merchant) Shipping
• Information Exchange Annexe (IEA) on Aircraft
Carrier Technologies

Pending agreements are:

 • Communication and Information Security
Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA)
• Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement
(BECA)

India-US: Cooperation in Energy and Climate

Change
• The India-USA Energy Dialogue was launched in
May 2005 to promote trade and investment in the
energy sector.

India-US: Cooperation in Education

• It has been agreed to collaborate with U.S.
institutions in the area of Technology Enabled
 Learning and Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOCs) to extend the reach of education in India.
• Under the Global Initiative of Academic Networks
(GIAN) launched by India, up to 1000 American
academics will be invited and hosted each year to
teach in Indian universities at their convenience.
• The two sides are also collaborating to establish a
new Indian Institute of Technology in
Ahmedabad.

India-Russia Relations
Relations with Russia are a key pillar of India’s
foreign policy, and Russia has been a longstanding
time-tested partner of India.
 • Both countries signed “Declaration on the India-
Russia Strategic Partnership” in October 2000
• Traditionally, the Indo-Russian strategic partnership
has been built on five major components: politics,
defence, civil nuclear energy, anti-terrorism co-
operation and space.

• the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and

Cooperation in August 1971.

Strain in the relationship

• Russia had proposed a Russia-India-China (RIC)
forum. India is hesitant about this because of the∙
unresolved issues with China.

Energy ties
 • Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is being
built in India with Russian cooperation.

Political ties
• New Delhi needs Moscow’s support in the former’s
bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council
• The Russians have backed the Indian position on
Kashmir.
• India and Russia are engaged in several multilateral
efforts that are greatly favoured by Russia such as the
BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
• Annual Summit meeting is the highest
institutionalized dialogue mechanism under the
Strategic Partnership
Defence ties
• BrahMos Missile System, Joint development of the
Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft and the Multi
Transport Aircraft, as well as the licensed production
in India of SU-30 aircraft and T-90 tanks, are 3
examples of such flagship cooperation.
• Last year in June, the Prime Minister dedicated to the
nation the Russian-built aircraft carrier INS
Vikramaditya at a special ceremony off the coast of
Goa.∙

Space Cooperation
• India-Russia cooperation in the field of peaceful uses
of outer space dates back to about four decades.
 • This year marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of
India’s first satellite “Aryabhatt” on a Russian (then∙
USSR) launch vehicle ‘Soyuz.’
• In 2007, India and Russia signed a framework
agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of
outer space, including satellite launches, Glonass
navigation, remote sensing and other societal
applications of outer space.
• In June 2015, the space agencies have signed a MoU
on expansion of cooperation in the field of the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful
purposes.

Cultural Cooperation
 • There is a strong tradition of Indian studies in Russia.
Apart from Hindi, languages such as Tamil, Marathi,
Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu, Sanskrit and Pali are taught
in Russian Institutions.
• There is general interest among Russian people in
Indian dance, music, yoga and ayurveda.
• There are regular cultural initiatives to promote
people-to-people contacts between India and Russia
The President of India inaugurated the Year of
Indian Culture ‘Namaste Russia’ in Moscow on 10
May 2015.

17th India-Russia annual summit

• Altogether 16 Agreements / MoUs are signed and
more emphasis is on defence procurement.
• India and Russia also signed an Inter-Governmental
Agreement for 4 additional Krivak or Talwar Class
Stealth Frigates. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) and Rostec State Corporation signed a Pact
worth $ 1 bn to set up a Joint Venture that will make
at least 200 Kamov-226T Utility Helicopters in
India.
• Signed an agreement on “Information Security”
aimed at countering terrorism, drug trafficking and∙
other illegal cross border activities.
• A Science and Technology Commission to facilitate
development and sharing of cutting-edge
technologies.
• Both the Leaders dedicated to the Nation, 2nd Unit
of the Kudankulam Atomic Power Plant. They also
laid the foundation stone for two more Units at
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.
 • Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) will work
with an Indian fund to invest $ 1 bn.

Tri-lateral relation between Russia-China-Pakistan

and its impact on India
• Russia’s growing affinity with Pakistan is bound to
give rise to some ruffles between India and Russia.
The rivalry between Pakistan and India only gets
worse as the latter accuses the former of breaching
international border norms.
• Pakistan’s relationship with Moscow deteriorated
during 1980s, when the former allied with the West
to fight the Soviet in Afghanistan.
• The reason of their rivalry has yet again brought the
two countries together, binding them with defence
agreements.
• The reason of their rivalry (Afghanistan) has yet
again brought the two countries together, binding
them with defence agreements.
• In June 2014, Russia announced the lifting of its
long-standing embargo on arms sales to Pakistan.

• In November, Russia and Pakistan signed their first

ever military cooperation agreement. The Russians
argue that if India can buy defence equipment from
the U.S., why they (Russia) couldn’t sell to Pakistan.
The problem for India, of course, is the strategic
import of such moves by Russia.
Need of the Hour
• India has to rebuild on its strengths and common
concerns with the Russians.
• Both have to revitalize their earlier agreement on
sharing intelligence for a joint strategy on terrorism.
Indian and Russian anxieties on terrorism need to
converge and bring about some positive outcome.
• India needs to deepen its scientific and technological
relations with Russia since a base for this already
exists.
• India can use some creative means to build a Russia-
India-China (RIC) alliance.
• Needs focus is increasing trade and investment ties
between India and Russia.
Recent Development
• In October 2016 The Russian President visited India
for the 17th bilateral summit between India and
Russia.
• PM Modi highlighted the “special and privileged
strategic partnership” between India and Russia by
quoting that, “An old friend is better than two new
friends.”

Key Highlights of the Bilateral Summit

• Cross Border Terrorism- Condemned
unequivocally and sealed a deal on ‘information
security’ to counter terrorism, drug trafficking and
other illegal cross-border activities.
• Defence Sector- Agreement to buy Russia’s most
advanced S-400 ‘Triumf’ anti-missile defence
system, to manufacture Kamov-226T utility
helicopters and four improved Krivak or Talwar class
stealth.
• Regional Integration and Trade- Emphasize on
implementation of the International North-South
Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• Infrastructure and Technology- Russian Direct
Investment Fund (RDIF) to invest in a sub-fund
under the National Infrastructure Investment Fund
(NIIF) of India.
• Nuclear Power Project- Modi and Putin both
jointed declared the second unit of Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Plant (Units 5 and 6).
 • Russian Largest FDI in India- Russian oil firm
Rosneft and United Capital Partners signed an
agreement to acquire Essar Energy Holdings Ltd’s
refining and retail assets at $10.9 billion, making it
Russia’s largest foreign direct investment in India.

Conclusion
• A sharp rise in Russia-China defense ties, the
assertive foreign policy of a rising China in the
IndoPacific, and the China-Pakistan nexus will all
encourage India to continue to strengthen ties with
Russia.
• It is clear that India-Russia relations remain vital for
both countries amid a changing regional and global
security environment.
• More will need to be done if the relationship is to
play the role both countries clearly expect.∙ With
 more emphasis on defence deals as well as energy
ties in recent times, India tried to ward off the
impression that it is tilting towards the United States
of America.

India-China Relations
Background :-
• On April 1, 1950, China and India established
diplomatic relations. India was the first non-socialist
country to establish relations with the People's
Republic of China. " Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai " has
become a catchphrase from that time and a much-
told story in the history of bilateral exchanges.
• In 1954, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited India.
China and India signed the Joint Statement and
 jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence(Panchsheel) .
• In the same year, Indian Prime Minister Nehru
visited China. He was the first head of government of
a non-socialist country who visited China since the
founding of the People's Republic of China.
• In 1962, the border conflict led to a serious setback
in bilateral relations.
• In 1976, China and India restored ambassadorial
relations and bilateral ties improved gradually.

India China Border Dispute:-

• The border between India and China is not clearly
demarcated throughout. Along certain stretches of its
3,488-km length, there is no mutually agreed Line of
 Actual Control (LAC) India, following
Independence, believed it had inherited firm
boundaries from the British, but this was contrary to
China’s view.
• The India-China border is divided into three sectors,
viz. Western, Middle and Eastern. The boundary
dispute in the Western Sector pertains to the Johnson
Line proposed by the British in the 1860s that
extended up to the Kunlun Mountains and put Aksai
Chin in the then princely state of Jammu and
Kashmir.

• In the Middle Sector, the dispute is a minor one. It is

the only one where India and China have exchanged
maps on which they broadly agree.
 • The disputed boundary in the Eastern Sector of the
India-China border is over the MacMahon Line.
• Till the 1960s, China controlled Aksai Chin in the
West while India controlled the boundary up to the
McMahon Line in the East.

CPEC and BRI :-

• India has criticised the Chinese-funded CPEC, which
links China’s Muslim dominated Xinjiang province
to the Gwadar deep-sea port in Pakistan
• The project passes through Gilgit-Baltistan in PoK,
which New Delhi considers its own territory.
South-China Sea:-
• India support for freedom of navigation and
overflight, and unimpeached commerce, based on
 international laws in the contentious South China
Sea.
• New Delhi has taken to criticising Beijing’s
strongarm tactics in the South China Sea , even as it
slowly but steadily builds military ties with countries
like Vietnam, Malaysia

Defence
• China and India have held 8 rounds of "Hand-in-
Hand" joint anti-terrorist exercises to enhance mutual
understanding and trust, exchange training
experiences and jointly improve anti-terrorism
capabilities.
The principles of Panchsheel include
 • Mutual respect for each others territorial integrity
and sovereignty
• mutual non aggression and peaceful co-existence
• Mutual non-interference in each others internal
affairs and equally for mutual benefit

India’s relations with the European Union

• Relations between the Republic of India and the
European Union are currently defined by the 1994
EU-India Cooperation Agreement.
• Indo-EU bilateral trade (excluding services trade)
stood at US$104.3 billion in the financial year 2018–
19.

Background
• Indian PM Narendra Modi with the President of
European Council Donald Tusk, and the President of
European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, at the
EU-India Summit, Brussels, 2016
• India was one of the first countries to develop
relations with the European Union. The Joint
Political Statement of 1993 and the 1994 Co-
operation Agreement were the foundational
agreements for the bilateral partnership.
• In 2004, India and European Union became
"Strategic Partners".
• A Joint Action Plan was agreed upon in 2005 and
updated in 2008. India-EU Joint Statements was
published in 2009 and 2012 following the India-
European Union Summits. EU-India relationship has
been qualified as high on rhetoric and low on
substance.
Free trade negotiations
• India and the EU have been working on a Broad-
based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)
since 2007, but India's trade regime and regulatory
environment remains comparatively restrictive.
• In January 2015, India rejected a non-binding
resolution passed by the European Parliament
pertaining to maritime incidents which occurred
within Indian Contiguous Zone.

Nuclear energy
• The EU and India agreed on 29 September 2008 at
the EU-India summit in Marseille, to expand their
co-operation in the fields of nuclear energy and
environmental protection and deepen their strategic
partnership.
• Under the joint action plan, EU and Indian would
enhance consultation and dialogue on human rights
within the UN framework, strengthen co-operation in
world peacekeeping mission, fight against terror and
non-proliferation of arms, promote co-operation and
exchange in developing civil nuclear energy and
strike a free trade deal as soon as possible.
• France, which relies heavily on nuclear power and is
a major exporter of nuclear technology, is expected
to sign a deal that would allow it to provide nuclear
fuel to India.

• the EU-enforced carbon tax on all fliers landing or

passing through European skies that was opposed by
many other countries, including India, China, the US
and Russia, the European Union and India held their
 twelfth annual summit in New Delhi on 10 February
2012.
• The summit agenda covered bilateral, regional and
global issues. The Leaders emphasised the
importance of the EU-India Strategic Partnership.
Galileo
• India has contributed towards the EU's satellite
navigation system

EU & India
• The EU works closely with India to promote peace,
create jobs, boost economic growth and enhance
sustainable development across the country.
• As India graduated from low to medium income
country (OECD 2014), the EU-India cooperation also
evolved from a traditional financial assistance type
 towards a partnership with a focus on common
priorities.
• At the 2017 EU-India Summit, leaders reiterated
their intention to strengthen cooperation on the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and agreed to explore the continuation
of the EU-India Development Dialogue.
• The EU is India's largest trading partner, accounting
for €85 billion (95 billion USD) worth of trade in
goods in 2017 or 13.1% of total India trade, ahead
of China (11.4%) and the USA (9.5%).
• The EU's share in foreign investment inflows to India
has more than doubled from 8% to 18% in the last
decade, making the EU the first foreign investor in
India.
• EU foreign direct investment stocks in India
amounted to €73 billion in 2016, which is significant
 but way below EU foreign investment stocks in
China (€178 billion).
• France, Germany and UK collectively represent the
major part of EU-India trade.

• INDIA-EU Bilateral Trade and Investment

Agreement (BTIA): It is a Free Trade Agreement
between India and EU, which was initiated in 2007.
Even after a decade of negotiations, India and EU
have failed to resolve certain issues which have led
to a deadlock.
– "Data Secure" status not granted by EU
affecting prospects of India’s IT-enabled
exports.
– Presence of non-tariff barriers on Indian
agricultural products in the form of sanitary
and phyto-sanitary(SPS) measures which are too
 stringent and enable the EU to bar many Indian
agricultural products from entering its markets.
– EU wants India to liberalise accountancy and
legal services. India denies on the ground of
already shortage of jobs.
– EU demands tax reduction on wines and
spirits but in India these are regarded as ‘sin
goods’ and the states which derive huge revenue
from liquor sales would be reluctant to cut taxes.
– Reduction of taxes on automobiles not
acceptable to India as its own automobile
industry would not be able to match the
competition from EU automobiles.
– India has rejected an informal attempt by the
European Union (EU) to work towards a global
investment agreement at the World Trade
Organisation (WTO)-level that would
 incorporate a contentious Investor-State Dispute
Settlement (ISDS) mechanism which will allow
corporations to take sovereign governments to
international arbitration.
– The ISDS mechanism permits companies to drag
governments to international arbitration without
exhausting the local remedies and claim huge
amounts as compensation citing losses they
suffered due to reasons, including policy
changes.
– The non-tariff barriers in pharmaceuticals
that EU has imposed include requirement of
WTO—Good Manufacturing Practice
certification, import bans, antidumping measures
and pre-shipment inspection among others.
– India has cancelled most individual bilateral
investment agreements with EU member
 states on grounds that they were outdated. By
doing this India is putting pressure on EU to sign
BTIA on favouring terms.

India and BRICS relations

Origin
• In 2001, the British Economist Jim O’Neill coined
the term BRIC to describe the four emerging
economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
• The grouping was formalised during the first meeting
of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the margins of the
UNGA in New York in 2006.
• The first BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg,
Russia, in June, 2009.
 • The expansion of grouping took place at Foreign
Ministers’ meeting in New York in 2010 with the
inclusion of South Africa.
• South Africa attended the third BRICS Summit in
Sanya, China` in April 2011.

Institutions
• New Development Bank: During the sixth BRICS
Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil (2014), the leaders
signed the Agreement for establishing the New
Development Bank (NDB).
• NDB has successfully worked as one of the most
promising multilateral development institutions.
Since its inception in 2015, it has approved 42
investment projects worth over $11 billion.
Contingency Reserve Arrangement: BRICS nations
signed BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA)
in 2014 as part of Fortaleza Declaration at Sixth BRICS
summit.
– Contingency Reserve Arrangement, aimed at
ensuring liquidity for member-states when they
are confronted by short term balance of payment
crises.
– The capital of $100 billion committed under
CRA, can act as the guarantor of BRICS
financial stability in case of crisis.
– Relevance of BRICS in Global Order
– BRICS countries together accounts for 42% of the
world’s population, a third of the global GDP and
around 17% share of world trade.
– Financial: Structural imbalances caused by the
global financial crisis of 2008 and new threats to the
 global economy posed by trade war and unilateral
economic sanctions are yet to be resolved.
– the BRICS and other Emerging Market and
Developing Countries (EMDCs) create an
opportunity for new initiatives that would better
help to support sustainable and inclusive growth
and development.
– Security: The US unilateral withdrawal from
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty
and Iran deal has posed a great security threat to
global peace.
– BRICS, being a pillar of fairer polycentric world
order, can play a significant role in assuring
world peace by playing an active role in dispute
resolution based on principle of fairness.
– Poverty Reduction: The BRICS contribution to
world poverty reduction has been sizeable.
 Continued BRICS growth remains important for
poverty reduction as well as for reducing
international inequalities.

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty

– The treaty was signed in December 1987 by US
President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General
Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
– It prohibited the United States and the Soviet Union
from possessing, testing and deploying ground-
launched cruise and ballistic missiles of ranges
between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
– It also covered all land-based missiles, including
those carrying nuclear warheads but did not cover
sea-launched missiles.
Importance of BRICS for India
• Geo-Politics: Global geopolitics today represents the
case of a tug of war and India finds itself in the
middle of it. This has made difficult for India to
carve a middle path for balancing its strategic
interests between the U.S and the Russia-China
axis.
• Global Economic Order: BRICS countries shared a
common objective of reforming the international
financial and monetary system, with a strong desire
to build a more just, and balanced international order
• Voice of Developing Nations: As the western
countries are raising challenges on issues ranging
from World Trade Organisation to climate change,
the developing countries are crippling under the
onslaught of these policies.
 • Terrorism: BRICS also provides a platform for
India to galvanize its efforts against terrorism and
has worked within the grouping to take a strong stand
against terrorism and bring about focused
consultations on specific aspects relating to
terrorism.
• Global Grouping: India is actively pursuing its
membership for United Nation Security Council
(UNSC) and Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).
• China forms the major roadblock in pursuing
such goals. Therefore, BRICS provides an
opportunity to actively engage with China and
resolve the mutual disputes. It also helps in
garnering support of other partner countries.

Challenges
• Heterogeneity: It is claimed by critics that
heterogeneity (variable/diverse nature of countries)
of the BRICS nations with its diverse interests
possess a threat to the viability of the grouping.
• China Centric: All the countries in BRICS grouping
trade with China more than each other, therefore it is
blamed that as a platform to promote China’s
interest. Balancing trade deficit with China is huge
challenge for other partner nations.
• Global Model for Governance: Amidst, global
slowdown, trade war and protectionism, the critical
challenge for the BRICS consists in the development
of a new global model of governance which should
not be unipolar but inclusive and constructive.
– The goal should be to avoid a negative scenario
of unfolding globalization and to start a
complicated merging of the global growing
 economies without distorting or breaking the
single financial and economic continuum of the
world.

India and ASEAN relations

ASEAN
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional
intergovernmental organisation consisting of ten
Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Singapore,
Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
• This organisation facilitates economic, political,
security, military, educational and socio-cultural
integration among its members and other nations in
Asia.
 • Its secretariat is located in Jakarta, Indonesia.

How did India-ASEAN relations begin?

• The then Look East Policy has changed into a
dynamic and action-oriented “Act East Policy” in
2014 during the 12th ASEAN-India Summit and 9th
East Asia Summit.

What are the areas of cooperation?

Plans of Action:
• In order to enhance their ties, the ASEAN-India
Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared
Prosperity, which sets out the roadmap for long-term
ASEAN-India engagement, was signed during the
3rd ASEAN-India summit in 2004.
 • A Plan of Action (POA) for the period of 2004 to
2010 was developed to implement the partnership.
• The 3rd POA (2016-2020) was adopted by the
ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting held in
August 2015. Priority areas were identified from
2016 to 2018 and implemented. This contributed to
the successful

• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is the main forum

for security dialogue and India has been attending
these annual meetings since 1996.
• The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)
is the highest consultative and cooperation

Socio-Cultural Cooperation:
 • The 3rd edition of the ASEAN-India Workshop on
Blue Economy was jointly hosted by India and
Thailand in Bangkok this year.

Connectivity
• Connectivity is a priority area for both India and
ASEAN.
• In 2013, India became the third dialogue partner of
ASEAN to initiate an ASEAN Connectivity
Coordination Committee-India Meeting.
• India has made considerable progress in
implementation of the India-Myanmar-Thailand
Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multimodal
Project.
 • The Kaladan Road project connecting the eastern
Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in
Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea.

India and SCO relations

• At SCO, India will have to balance between
contradictory imperatives as regional aspirations of
Central Asian countries contradict with India’s goals:
• Also, engagement with SCO is like a paradox for
India as India wants to fight against terrorism
through a body that includes states that pose the
biggest threats to Indian security i.e. Pakistan.

What is SCO?
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or
Shanghai Pact is a Eurasian political, economic, and
security alliance, it's creation was announced on June
15, 2001, in Shanghai, China.
• It's member countries China, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan,
India and Pakistan (India and Pakistan joined SCO as
full members on 9 June 2017 at SCO's Astana
summit, Kazakhstan.)
• The SCO is widely regarded as the "Alliance of the
East", due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific,
and has been the primary security pillar of the region.
• It is the largest regional organisation in the world in
terms of geographical coverage and population,
covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and
nearly half of the human population.
How regional aspirations of Central Asian countries
contradict with India’s goals?
• Russia and Central Asian countries are likely to
express “broad support” for China in the wake of
trade war against U.S.
• India is equally concerned about this trade war, but is
in a dilemma in view of openly slamming U.S.
protectionism.
• It is also notable that all SCO members, barring
India, are enthusiastic supporters of the Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI).
• Also, the other agenda of the summit would be to sell
the Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) as a potential passage to
landlocked Central Asian states. But CPEC passes
 through territory over which India claims its
sovereignty.
• Also through BRI and SCO, China will be
successful in uniting Eurasia to challenge a united
Europe. This scenario will prompt China and Russia
to enter into a new era of global strategic partnership.
This might not be in India's strategic interest.

What are opportunities for India in the context of

SCO?
• China: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting
with President Xi on the sidelines of the summit will
be critical.
– As this meeting comes after China’s decision to
withdraw its technical hold on the listing of
Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a
 global terrorist at the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC)
– Also, the key concern for the two leaders is the
impact of the U.S.-China trade war.
– Russia: PM Modi meeting with Russian
President Vladimir Putin is very important to
save the S-400 Triumf anti-missile defence
deal against USA's threat to act under CAATSA
(Countering America's Adversaries Through
Sanctions Act)
– Also, India and Russia have an ambitious
economic agenda drawn up for 2019, also Russia
has invited PM Modi to be the chief guest at the
Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in
September.
– Russia is also keen that India joins the Arctic:
Territory of Dialogue Forum.
What is CAATSA?
• Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions
Act (CAATSA) 27 july 2017 is a legislation
introduced in the United States that aims to counter
anti-US aggression displayed by countries like Iran,
North Korea and Russia through a series of punitive
measures.
• Among the provisions of CAATSA are secondary
sanctions on countries that are found to be dealing
with the Russian defence and intelligence sectors.

What is S-400 Triumf?

• S-400 Triumf is one of the world’s most advanced air
defence systems that can simultaneously track
 numerous incoming objects — all kinds of aircraft,
missiles and UAVs — in a radius of a few hundred
kilometres and launch appropriate missiles to
neutralise them.

• Multilateral cooperation: India seems committed to

working with the SCO to develop a ‘cooperative and
sustainable security’ framework, to make the
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure more effective,
and participate in efforts to bring about stability in
Afghanistan.
– Central asian countries back India’s proposal for
a Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism.
– Also, the SCO is relevant for India to garner
support for reforms of the UNSC to make the
 latter more representative and effective. India
has been lending support to the member
countries’ candidatures for non-permanent
membership of the UNSC for a long time
– SCO is a potential platform to advance India’s
Connect Central Asia policy. However,

India and SAARC relations

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC)
• The South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the
signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8
December 1985.
 • The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was
first raised in November 1980. After consultations,
the foreign secretaries of the seven founding
countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—met for the first
time in Colombo in April 1981.
– Afghanistan became the newest member of
SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005.
– The Headquarters and Secretariat of the
Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.

Principles
• Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC
shall be based on:
– Respect for the principles of sovereign equality,
territorial integrity, political independence,
 non-interference in the internal affairs of other
States and mutual benefit.
– Such cooperation shall not be a substitute for
bilateral and multilateral cooperation but shall
complement them.
– Such cooperation shall not be inconsistent with
bilateral and multilateral obligations.
• There are currently nine Observers to SAARC,
namely:
• (i) Australia;
• (ii) China;
• (iii) the European Union;
• (iv) Iran;
 • (v) Japan;
• (vi) the Republic of Korea;
• (vii) Mauritius;
• (viii) Myanmar; and
• (ix) the United States of America.

The Objectives of the SAARC

• To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia
and to improve their quality of life.
• To accelerate economic growth, social progress and
cultural development in the region and to provide all
individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to
realize their full potentials.
• To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance
among the countries of South Asia.
• To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and
appreciation of one another’s problems..
• To promote active collaboration and mutual
assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical
and scientific fields.
• To strengthen cooperation with other developing
countries.
• To strengthen cooperation among themselves in
international forums on matters of common
interests; and
• To cooperate with international and regional
organizations with similar aims and purposes.
Principal Organs
• Meeting of Heads of State or Government
– Meetings are held at the Summit level, usually
on an annual basis.
• Standing Committee of Foreign Secretaries
– The Committee provides overall monitoring and
coordination, determines priorities, mobilizes
resources, and approves projects and financing.
Secretariat
– The SAARC Secretariat was established in
Kathmandu on 16 January 1987. Its role is to
coordinate and monitor the implementation of
SAARC activities, service the meetings of the
association and serve as a channel of
communication between SAARC and other
international organizations.
 – The Secretariat comprises the secretary-general,
seven directors, and the general services staff.
The secretary-general is appointed by the
Council of Ministers on the principle of rotation,
for a non-renewable tenure of three years.

SAARC Specialized Bodies

• SAARC Development Fund (SDF): Its primary
objective is funding of project-based collaboration in
social sectors such as poverty alleviation,
development, etc.
South Asian University
– South Asian University (SAU) is an
international university, located in India.
Degrees and Certificates awarded by the SAU
are at par with the respective Degrees and
 Certificates awarded by the National
Universities/ Institutions.

South Asian Regional Standards Organization

– South Asian Regional Standards
Organization (SARSO) has its Secretariat at
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
– It was established to achieve and enhance
coordination and cooperation among SAARC
member states in the fields of standardization
and conformity assessment and is aimed to
develop harmonized Standards for the region to
facilitate intra-regional trade and to have access
in the global market.
– SAARC Arbitration Council
 • It is an inter-governmental body having its office in
Pakistan is mandated to provide a legal
framework/forum within the region for fair and
efficient settlement of commercial, industrial, trade,
banking, investment and such other disputes, as may
be referred to it by the member states and their
people.

SAARC and its Importance

• SAARC comprises 3% of the world's area, 21% of
the world's population and 3.8% (US$2.9 trillion)
of the global economy.
• Creating synergies: It is the world’s most densely
populated region and one of the most fertile areas.
SAARC countries have common tradition, dress,
food and culture and political aspects thereby
synergizing their actions.
 • Common solutions: All the SAARC countries have
common problems and issues like poverty, illiteracy,
malnutrition, natural disasters, internal conflicts,
industrial and technological backwardness, low GDP
and poor socio-economic condition and uplift their
living standards thereby creating common areas of
development and progress having common solutions.

SAARC Achievements
• Free Trade Area (FTA): SAARC is comparatively
a new organization in the global arena. The member
countries have established a Free Trade Area
(FTA) which will increase their internal trade and
lessen the trade gap of some states considerably.
• SAPTA: South Asia Preferential Trading
Agreement for promoting trade amongst the member
countries came into effect in 1995.
• SAFTA: A Free Trade Agreement confined to
goods, but excluding all services like information
technology. Agreement was signed to reduce
customs duties of all traded goods to zero by the year
2016.
• SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services
(SATIS): SATIS is following the GATS-plus
'positive list' approach for trade in services
liberalization.
• SAARC University: Establish a SAARC university
in India, a food bank and also an energy reserve in
Pakistan.
Significance for India
• Neighbourhood first: Primacy to the country’s
immediate neighbours.
• Geostrategic significance: Can counter China
(OBOR initiative) through engaging Nepal, Bhutan,
the Maldives and Sri Lanka in development process
and economic cooperation.
• Regional stability: SAARC can help in creation of
mutual trust and peace within the region.
• Global leadership role: It offers India a platform to
showcase its leadership in the region by taking up
extra responsibilities.
• Game changer for India’s Act East Policy: by
linking South Asian economies with South East asian
 will bring further economic integration and
prosperity to India mainly in the Services Sector.
Challenges
• Low frequency of meetings: More engagement is
required by the member states and instead of meeting
biennial meetings should be held annually.
• Broad area of cooperation leads to diversion of
energy and resources.
• Limitation in SAFTA: The implementation of
SAFTA has not been satisfactory a Free Trade
Agreement confined to goods, excluding all services
like information technology.
• Indo-Pak Relations: Escalated tension and conflict
between India and Pakistan have severely hampered
the prospects of SAARC.
• In a region increasingly targeted by Chinese
investment and loans, SAARC could be a common
platform to demand more sustainable alternatives for
development, or to oppose trade tariffs together, or to
demand better terms for South Asian labour around
the world.
• SAARC, as an organisation, reflects the South Asian
identity of the countries, historically and
contemporarily. This is a naturally made
geographical identity. Equally, there is a cultural,
linguistic, religious and culinary affinity that defines
South Asia.
• The potential of organisation to maintain peace and
stability in the region should be explored by all the
member countries.
 • SAARC should be allowed to progress naturally and
the people of South Asia, who make up a quarter of
the world’s population should be offered more
people-to-people contact.

Gujral Doctrine
• The Indian Prime Minister had launched
the Neighbourhood First Policy in 2014, which
envisaged actively focussing on improving ties
with India's immediate neighbours. However,
relations between India and its neighbours currently
are not as good as it needs to be in order to propel the
South Asian region into a state of prosperity.
• In this context, the Gujral doctrine can play a
significant role in shaping South Asia.

IK Gujral
 • Inder Kumar Gujral was sworn in as the 12th Prime
Minister of India from April 1997 to May 1998.
• IK Gujral can be remembered for two significant
contributions to Indian foreign policy:
– One, he propounded the 'Gujral doctrine' when
he was the union minister of External Affairs in
the HD Deve Gowda Government. It is
considered a milestone in India's foreign policy.
– Two, despite international pressure, Gujral
firmly refused to sign the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT) in October 1996.

What is the Gujral Doctrine?

• The Gujral Doctrine is a set of five principles to
guide the conduct of foreign relations with India’s
immediate neighbours.
• These five principles arise from the belief that
India’s stature and strength cannot be isolated
from the quality of its relations with its
neighbours.
• It, thus, recognises the supreme importance of
friendly, cordial relations with neighbours.
These principles are:
– With neighbours like Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India does not
ask for reciprocity but gives and accommodates
what it can in good faith and trust.
– No South Asian country should allow its
territory to be used against the interest of another
country of the region.
 – No country should interfere in the internal
affairs of another.
– All South Asian countries must respect each
other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
– They should settle all their disputes through
peaceful bilateral negotiations.

Application of Gujral Doctrine

• The resolution of the water-sharing dispute with
Bangladesh in just three months in 1996-97.
• This almost coincided with the treaty with Nepal for
taming the Mahakali river for the generation of hydel
power.
• It was followed by agreements with Sri Lanka for
expanding development cooperation.
 • Also, it led to the starting of composite dialogue
with Pakistan.
– The composite dialogue was based on the
principle that while entire spectrums of
relationships came under sincere problem-
solving dialogues.

Relevance of Gujral Doctrine

• Pakistan: For 200 years, Britain practiced the
principle of divide and rule in its empire.
– India and Pakistan were born as two sovereign
nations into a pool of mutual hatred, hostility
distrust and suspicion.
– To this inherited pool, new tensions and
confrontations over religion (the two nations
 theory), territory ( Kashmir ) and national
aspirations were added.
– Further, the creation of Bangladesh sharpened
the strategic conflict between India and Pakistan.
• Nepal: Domestic politics in Nepal has led to a
strategic deadlock between the two close neighbours.
• Srilanka: The outbreak of the armed insurgency of
Tamil Tigers in Jaffna created an almost inevitable
chasm between India and SriLanka.
• Bangladesh: Illegal migration has always been a
contentious issue between India and Bangladesh.

Challenges to Gujral Doctrine

• China’s footprint in the subcontinent has expanded
(Belt and Road initiative) and the logic of improved
 connectivity within the subcontinent is often trumped
by heightened security concerns.
• Development cooperation as an instrument of
India’s neighbourhood policy is weakened by the
paucity of resources.
– India is unable to match the scale of resources
China is able to deploy in our neighbourhood to
win influence.
• The current slowdown in the Indian economy has
meant that there is less willingness on India's part to
further open its market to its neighbours.
• India's borders become transmission belts for
security threats such as cross-border terrorism,
contraband trade or drug trafficking.
• November 2008 Mumbai attacks, reflected the
weakness of this doctrine: that 'inherent goodwill'
may not work with openly hostile neighbours.
Way Forward
• There is no doubt that the challenges which India
must deal with in its neighbourhood have become
more complex and even threatening compared to two
decades ago.
• In an age of shifting geopolitics and altered the
balance of power, India will need to re-strategise its
neighbourhood policy.
– Connectivity must be pursued with greater
vigour while security concerns are addressed
through cost-effective, efficient and reliable
technological measures which are in use in other
parts of the world.
– India should become a transit country of choice
for all its neighbours by extending national
treatment on its transport network and ports.
 • Above all, “neighbourhood first” must be anchored
in the sustained engagement at all levels of the
political and people to people levels, building upon
the deep cultural affinities which are unique to
India’s relations with its neighbours.

India's Act East Policy

• Recently, the Prime Minister of India visited
Thailand for East Asia Summit and Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
Summit. The visit was intended for India to finalize
the RCEP trade deal.
• India has expressed many concerns regarding the
signing of the trade deal, viz. unfavourable balance
of trade, non-acceptance of auto-trigger mechanism,
 protection of domestic industry (dairy and steel), lack
of consensus on rules of origin, etc.
• However, RCEP envisages strong economic linkages
of India with Southeast Asian and East Asian
countries, which is at the core of India’s Act East
Policy.

Evolution of India's Act East Policy

• India Act East Policy was unveiled by Prime
Minister of India, Narendra Modi, at the 12th
ASEAN-India Summit in 2014 held in Myanmar.
Act East Policy is the successor of Look East
Policy.

Look East Policy

 • In order to recover from the loss of the strategic
partner -USSR (end of the Cold war 1991), India
sought to build up a relationship with the USA and
allies of the USA in Southeast Asia.
• In this pursuit, former Prime minister of India P V
Narasimha Rao launched Look East policy in 1992,
to give a strategic push to India’s engagement with
South-East Asia region.

How Act East is different from Look East policy?

• Look East policy focused on the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries +
Economic Integration.
– India became a dialogue partner of ASEAN in
1996 and summit level partner in 2002.
– In 2012 the relationship got up-graded into a
Strategic Partnership in 2012.
– The time when India launched Look East Policy
in 1992, India's trade with ASEAN was $2
billion. After signing the Free Trade Agreement
in 2010 with ASEAN, the trade has grown to
$72 billion (2017-18).
– India is also an active participant in several
regional forums like the East Asia Summit
(EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) etc.
– Act East Policy focused on ASEAN countries +
Economic Integration + East Asian countries
+ Security cooperation.

– Prime minister of India highlighted 4C's of Act

East Policy.
 • Culture
• Commerce
• Connectivity
• Capacity building
– Security is an important dimension of India's
Act East Policy.
• In the context of growing Chinese
assertiveness in the South China Sea and
the Indian Ocean, securing freedom of
navigation and India's own role in the Indian
Ocean is a key feature of Act East Policy.
• In pursuance of this, India has been engaged
under the narrative of Indo-pacific and
informal grouping called Quad.
Indo-Pacific
• In order to counter China's assertiveness in the South
China Sea and the Indian Ocean, the term Indo-
pacific gained prominence.
• The first time, the term 'Indo Pacific' was used by the
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.
– According to him, it is a connection between
the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
• However, the President of the United States
reinvigorated the term Indo-pacific at EAS summit,
2017.
• Through Indo-pacific, US envisages an open, free,
inclusive, prosperous and rule-based Indo Pacific
system.
 • The term Indo-pacific is being used instead of
'Asia-Pacific'. This shows the salience of India in
the new construct.
– This can be reflected in multilateral military
exercises like Malabar (trilateral naval exercise
between India, Japan and the US).
– India hosted ASEAN Plus military exercise
(Force 18) in 2018.

Quad
• Quad is an informal strategic dialogue of like-minded
democracies converging across the Indian and
Pacific oceans.
• It comprises of the US, Japan, India and Australia.
• Quad is perceived to be symbiotically linked military
alliance, formed to contain China.
Challenges
• India has done more than two decades of hard work
to extend its reach beyond South Asia, reaching East
Asia or Indo-Pacific region. However, there are some
challenges to Act East Policy.

Trade Deficit
• Trade has grown over the years but this has occurred
with an imbalance.
• India’s trade deficit vis-a-vis all other Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
countries is around $ 107 billion.
• This trade deficit is significantly huge, given India's
total trade deficit i.e. around $180 billion.
 • This was one of the reasons that made India exit
RCEP negotiations.

Dealing with China

• India has to cope up with different strategies of
China.
• On one hand, China is encircling India (through the
string of pearls), building China Pakistan economic
corridor through disputed territory between India &
Pakistan.
• On the other hand, China wants India to be on its
side, on issues like climate change, globalization etc.
• Also, India desires that its foreign policy of Multi
Alignment should not make China apprehensive of
India being a member of the anti-China alliance led
by the US.
Steps for an Assertive Act East Policy
• Need for Competitive Manufacturing
• Act East Policy seeks economic integration of India's
economy with global supply chains which are
concentrated in Southeast Asia and East Asia.
• In order to become a manufacturing hub, India
should do holistic reforms to make its manufacturing
competitive (India hasn't witnessed major reforms
since 1991).
– In this context there is a need for capital sector
reforms, labour reforms, easing of land
acquisition and bridging infrastructure deficit.
– The responsibility of carrying out these reforms
lies with both the private sector and the
government.
 • This will also help India to check its trade deficit.
• A balanced, fair and equitable trade relationship
is critical for a resounding Act East Policy.
Tackling China
• Just like China is showing its assertiveness in the
Indian Ocean, India must increase its engagement in
the South China Sea.
• In this context, India's engagement with Quad and
ASEAN countries is a step in the right direction.
– India and Vietnam, are collaborating in oil
exploration in the South China Sea (where China
has its claims of sovereignty).
– Similar to China developing ports in the Indian
Ocean, India with Indonesia is developing a
port called Sabang (near the Strait of Malacca).
 – Recently, the Indian prime minister proposed an
“Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative” for the safe,
secure and stable maritime domain.
• It focuses on creating partnerships among
interested states in enhancing maritime
security, sustainably using marine resources,
disaster prevention & management.
• Developing North East
• The success of India’s Act East Policy, will depend
upon connectivity projects in India's North East
region.
• Therefore, India should expedite the connectivity
projects like India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral
Highway and Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit
Transport Project.
Leveraging Soft power
• While pursuing Act East Policy India must work on
its niche advantage i.e. cultural and civilizational.
– These cultural and civilizational linkages are
dated from ancient times (spread of Buddhism
and Hinduism).
– India’s freedom struggle further extended this
connection, as many of India's freedom fighters
had links with Southeast and East Asian
countries.
– Today, the sphere of India’s cultural power
expanded because of technological infusion
and globalization.
– There is a growing realization of Gandhi’s ideal
of Sovereign citizens (a situation where each
 citizen is so empowered that it can influence the
world).
• The Indian diaspora will forge a strong people to
people relations, which in turn will enhance India’s
cultural and civilizational linkages.

Look West Policy

• After successfully implementing a “Look East”
policy to promote trade and investment with its
Asian neighbors, India has adopted a similar policy
toward West Asia.
• The Gulf region has become a major economic
partner, is a home to over 4 million Indians and a
major source of oil and gas.
• This has resulted in increased interaction, enhanced
trade and economic relations and launch of
 negotiations towards FTA with the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries.
• The Government is keen to cooperate with the Gulf
countries in the promotion of peace and stability in
the region. It has appointed a Special Envoy for the
Gulf and West Asia.
• Indian stakes and interests in the Gulf region are as
obvious as they are immense. Geographically, the
Gulf is India’s extended neighborhood and the only
link with the no less vital Central Asia, with Pakistan
denying this country transit rights and Afghanistan
having sunk into chaos.
• Historically, the relationship between the
subcontinent and the Gulf goes back to ancient, pre-
Islamic days. Britain controlled the Gulf littoral
tightly because of its overwhelming strategic
 importance for the defense of India, the brightest
jewel in the crown.
• The region has more to it than just being a centre of
Israel-Arab confrontation. The geographical extent of
what was West Asia has greatly expanded since the
collapse of the USSR and is now called the “Greater
Middle East”.
• This region shares a long historical association with
India. It is the source for India’s ever-expanding
needs of energy. It is also huge markets for Indian
goods, services and skilled manpower.

Advantages of the ‘Look-West’ Policy

• A constructive and dauntless “look-west” policy
from India would acknowledge the geopolitical
significance of Pakistan.
• Rather than being an obstacle, Pakistan could
become a link between the Indian subcontinent and
the energy-rich region.
• Pakistan could also act as a transit route for the
movement of people, goods and energy between
India and the West Asian region.
• Pakistan has begun to move the self-perception of its
location from geopolitics to geo-economics.
• More importantly, Pakistan’s ‘Look East’ Policy had
developed considerably as evident from its admission
into the security arm of the ASEAN.
• India will gain overland access to Iran, Afghanistan
and Central Asia. Currently, India has to
circumnavigate Pakistan and get access to
Afghanistan through Iran.
• The essence of this policy was that an India-Pakistan
reconciliation would be meaningful because it would
increase the potential for regional economic
integration in the subcontinent and also trans-
regional cooperation between countries in Central
Asia, South Asia and the Gulf.
• Resolving the Kashmir issue is vital for unleashing
the geo-economic potential of the region. Pakistan
itself has delinked its Kashmir issue with India and
the construction of pipelines overland from Iran and
Central Asia to India.
• The building of pipelines across Pakistan’s territory
would also make it easy to construct highways
linking India with Afghanistan and Iran.
• India could offer to negotiate trade and transit
treaties involving all the 4 nations.
 • India could also suggest cooperation with Pakistan in
encouraging free trade between South Asia and the
Gulf Cooperation Council. Any permanent resolution
of the Kashmir issue would inevitably involve
creative political cooperation across the divided state.
It would also necessitate the complete normalization
of Indo-Pak relations.
• Projects like interconnected electricity grids, natural
gas pipelines, and transnational highway roads will
realise the new strategic conception of Pakistan as
India’s gateway to the West. India, in turn, will be
Pakistan’s gateway to the East.

9-point Agenda for India’s Look-West Policy

• India has been outdone by Beijing in the context of
securing a tight and improved relation with West
 Asia in the wake of its inertia to develop a good
economic integration with Pakistan and the Gulf
countries. Fast-forwarding free trade negotiations
with the six-nation Gulf Coordination Council
(GCC), overcoming obstacles to economic
cooperation with Pakistan, and raising India’s
commercial profile in Africa must be at the top of the
agenda for a ‘Look West’. India will have to go
beyond makeshift response to individual crises. It has
to focus on every single crisis and issues starting
from energy-security to counter-terrorism in its
western neighborhood.
• Here are nine possible elements that could fit into
what we might call a ‘pertinent look-West’ policy.
• The first is an independent approach to the region.
India’s interests in the region stand on their own. Too
often an ‘independent foreign policy’ has been
defined as simply opposing Washington. So long as
 the US remains the principal power shaping the
region, New Delhi must find ways to maximize
regional cooperation with the US, where our interests
converge and minimize the negative consequences
when they diverge.
• The second is a commitment to omnidirectional
engagement. The arc of crisis is beset by severe
internal contradictions. Given their multiple interests
in the Middle East, great powers do not take sides
between Arabs and Israel, the Shia and Sunni, or
even Kabul and Islamabad until it becomes
absolutely unavoidable. India too must shed its past
ideological approach and focus on pragmatic
engagement of all sides.
• The third is sustained diplomatic outreach. India
must extend its bilateral visits to all these countries
for greater cooperation.
• The fourth is about leveraging the Islamic link.
India’s links to its western neighbours are
multifarious and include the cultural, political,
economic and religious. If New Delhi has the
political imagination, the Indian Muslim community,
instead of being seen as a political entity, could
easily become a potent force in India’s ‘Look West’
policy.
• The fifth is the centrality of Pakistan. Whether we
like it or not, normalisation of relations with Pakistan
holds the key to a successful ‘Look West’ policy.
Whether it is in gaining overland access to
Afghanistan and Central Asia, ensuring India’s
energy security, expanding ties with the Gulf, or
limiting the threat of Islamic extremism and
terrorism in the subcontinent, cooperation with
Pakistan is essential.
• The sixth is an enduring commitment to stability in
Afghanistan. Preventing a destabilisation of Kabul
by the Taliban has already emerged as one of the
highest priorities for India’s national security
strategy. As Pak-Afghan ties sink to lower depths,
India faces a new tension between improving ties
with Pakistan and strengthening the Karzai regime.
The answer must necessarily lie in New Delhi taking
the initiative for a triangular political and economic
cooperation and encouraging Islamabad and Kabul to
limit their conflict.
• The seventh, is to accelerate economic integration
between India and the GCC, Pakistan etc. everybody
knows that a large part of the success of the Look-
East Policy resulted in the increased trade and
economic relations. The Prime Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh, has authorized the Union
Commerce and External Affairs Ministries to begin
 negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) to conclude an India-GCC Free Trade
Agreement. He has also approved negotiations with
individual member countries of GCC, namely,
United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Oman,
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for a comprehensive
economic cooperation agreement covering services
sector and investment.
• The eighth element is defence diplomacy. As
conflicts deepen in our western neighbourhood,
many nations would look towards increased security
cooperation with New Delhi. India, in turn, needs an
active engagement with the armed forces of the
region, which should include arms transfers. India
also needs new guidelines on when it would deploy
its armies in the region. India has a long tradition of
sending troops to the Middle East and Africa on
peacekeeping missions.
Coping with territorial changes in the Gulf.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in July
2017 was historic in that it was the first ever by an
Indian Prime Minister.
• The visit did not entail a visit to Palestine, marking a
departure from tradition. India has resolved to
dehyphenate its relations between Palestine and
Israel. The relationship with Israel is significant as
India can benefit a lot from the latter’s advanced
technologies, particularly in the military domain.