Realism Replacing Rhetoric: Factors Shaping India's Middle East Policy
2008; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 97; Issue: 397 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/00358530802207385
ISSN1474-029X
Autores Tópico(s)International Relations and Foreign Policy
ResumoAbstract Since the end of the Cold War India's policy towards developments in the Middle East has been governed more by economic and energy considerations and less by the political rhetoric of the past. This period has also witnessed the marginalization of the Pakistani factor in India's policy towards the region and a greater emphasis on economic partnership. Regarding Israel and the pro-western countries of the Gulf, India has forged a good working relationship. However, the United States has emerged as a player in India's Middle East policy. As is shown, US policy is limiting India's ability to forge closer ties with countries such as Iran and Iraq. Key Words: Arab–Israeli conflictenergyIranthe USlabour exports Notes 1. Though 'West Asia' has been the official Indian nomenclature, 'Middle East', the expression used by the countries of that region, is increasingly becoming popular. 2. Towards the end of World War 1 Indian Muslims rose in support of the Ottoman Empire whose sultan was also the Caliph (religious head and successor to Prophet Mohammad). This is commonly known as the Khilafat movement and continued until 1924 when the office of Caliph was abolished by Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. 3. Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi), Press conference of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, New York, 16 September 2005. Available at http://meaindia.nic.in/pressbriefing/2005/09/16pb01.htm (accessed 16 May 2008). 4. India, Iran have civilisational links, The Hindu, 21 April 2008. 5. Cuba and Greece also joined India in opposing partition. 6. Unstarred Question in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament), 16 May 2007. Available at http://164.100.24.167:8080/members/website/Mainweb.asp?mpcode=1993 (accessed 18 June 2008). 7. Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi), Resolution adopted by Lok Sabha on 31st on situation in West Asia. Press Release, 31 July 2006. Available at http://meaindia.nic.in/pressrelease/2006/07/31pr02.htm (accessed 15 May 2007). 8. This controversial remark, made to Sunday Observer in June 1982, however, resulted in this particular official being declared persona non grata by the then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi. 9. Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, http://dgft.delhi.nic.in. India's exports to the Middle East were US$3.8 billion in 1997–98; US$4.2 billion in 1998–99; US$4.5 billion in 1999–2000; US$5.6 billion in 2000–01; US$5.7 billion in 2001–02; US$7.5 billion in 2002–03; US$10 billion in 2003–04; US$14 billion in 2004–05; and US$16.6 billion in 2005–06. In terms of percentage, during this period, the region accounted for between 10–16% of India's total exports. 10. Ibid. India's imports from the region were US$6.5 billion in 1997–98; US$7.7 billion in 1998–99; and US$9.6 billion in 1999–2000. Subsequently, India stopped its earlier practice of identifying the sources of energy imports and hence there was a significant 'drop' in India's imports from the region. Its non-energy imports stood at US$3 billion in 2000–01; US$3.1 billion in $3.5 billion in 2002–03; US$4.9 billion in 2003–04; US$9.5 billion in 2004–05; and US$10.8 in 2005–06. 11. Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi, n.d.) Report of the Higher Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora, p. 33. Available at http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter4.pdf (accessed 19 May 2007). 12. Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi), Briefing point by official spokesperson on External Affairs Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia, 19 April 2008. Available at http://mea.gov.in/pressbriefing/2008/04/19pb01.htm (accessed 27 April 2008). 13. A detailed account on this can be found in Sudarshan, V. (2008) Anatomy of Abduction: How the Indian Hostages in Iraq were Freed (New Delhi: Penguin Books). 14. IEA World Energy Outlook 2005: Middle East and North Africa Insights (2004) (Paris: International Energy Agency), p. 254. 15. For a recent debate on this issue see John C. K. Daly (2006) The Baloch insurgency and its threat to Pakistan's energy sector, Terrorism Focus, 3(11). Available at http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369935 (accessed 18 June 2008). 16. Following talks in New Delhi during the brief stopover visit by President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the Indian Foreign Secretary observed that India wishes "to construct an economically, commercially viable project, to have assured supplies, and to ensure the security of supplies in various ways". This statement also highlights the deep divisions between the two sides. Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi), Briefing by Foreign Secretary, Shivshankar Menon on visit of President Ahmedinejad of Iran to India, 29 April 2008. Available at http://meaindia.nic.in/pressbriefing/2008/04/29pb01.htm (accessed 1 May 2008). 17. In April 2004, following Tripoli's acceptance of the UN demands over the Lockerbie disaster, Libya was dropped from the ILSA. Hence, it now stands as the Iran Sanctions Act and will be in place at least until December 2011. 18. Energy Information Analysis, Country Analysis Brief, Sudan, April 2007, p. 3. Available at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Sudan/pdf.pdf (accessed 18 June 2008). 19. Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi), Briefing points by official spokesperson on External Affairs Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia, 19 April 2008. Available at http://meaindia.nic.in/pressbriefing/2008/04/19pb01.htm (accessed 2 May 2008). 20. Commenting on the first vote, former Indian diplomat and currently India's vice president, M. H. Ansari, depicted India's role at the IAEA as "surrogate's surrogate". Ansari, M. H. (2005) Et EU, India? Did we have to play a surrogate's surrogate? Outlook, October 10. 21. Literally days before the vote, a foreign ministry spokesperson reminded the media that both countries "have enjoyed deep civilizational, cultural, people-to-people links and we attach great importance to the bilateral relations". Ministry of External Affairs (New Delhi) (2005) Briefing on External Affairs Minister Shri Natwar Singh's visit to Iran, 1 September. Available at http://meaindia.nic.in/pressbriefing/2005/09/01pb01.htm (accessed 3 May 2008).
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