The Pulse

India’s Middle East Policy Gathers Momentum

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The Pulse

India’s Middle East Policy Gathers Momentum

New Delhi’s active diplomacy with the region is now being bolstered by growing recognition of threats such as ISIS.

India’s Middle East Policy Gathers Momentum
Credit: Narendra Modi via Flickr.com

Much of India’s foreign policy, even today, is based on the fundamentals laid down by the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. India’s place in the world and the policies that have shaped its global personality as a nation are based on Nehru’s ideals, which were sacrosanct until the Indo-China war of 1962 offered a perspective based on realism, rather than idealism.

Nehru was genuinely fond of driving India’s foreign policy, just like Manmohan Singh and now Narendra Modi have been. However, Nehru’s play in extending India’s hand of friendship and cooperation in the Middle East and Persian Gulf (more commonly known in India as West Asia) was a masterstroke, the benefits of which India reaps in the region even today.

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