An article in Foreign Policy, a noted US magazine focused on global affairs, has cited the emergence of India as a “major player” in the Middle East as one of the most interesting geopolitical developments in the region in years.
The write-up highlighted New Delhi’s deep and growing ties with major countries in the region, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to assert that the evolution of India’s place reflects the changing international order and the willingness — perhaps even eagerness — of these nations to benefit from the new multipolarity.
There is little that the United States can do about this development and may even in a paradoxical way benefit from it, its author Steven A Cook has argued.
“If the United States’ Middle Eastern partners are looking for an alternative to Washington, it is better that New Delhi is among the choices.
“The US may no longer be the undisputed big dog in the region, but as long as India expands its presence in the Middle East, neither Russia nor China can assume that role,” he asserted.
The author recalled his visit to India around a decade ago to state what had struck him then that Indians did not want to play a larger role in the Middle East.
In the 10 years since his trip, however, things have changed, he said.
“While US officials and analysts are obsessed with every diplomatic move Beijing makes and eye Chinese investment in the Middle East with suspicion, Washington is overlooking one of the most interesting geopolitical developments in the region in years: the emergence of India as a major player in the Middle East,” Cook wrote.
When it comes to the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are aggressively seeking ways to expand relations with India, the article said.
It is a significant shift because both countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, have long aligned with Pakistan, it says, noting that the pivot to India stems in part from a common interest in containing Islamist extremism but much of the pull is economic.
It highlighted the growing economic ties between India and the two countries to make the point.
On India’s strong ties with Israel, it said they are perhaps the most well-developed of New Delhi’s relations in the region.
These ties have rapidly developed in a variety of fields, notably high tech and defence after Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian head of government to visit Israel in 2017 and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu returned the honour a year later.