Time to Bridge the Gulf

Context:  The Indian establishment must discard outdated perceptions and seize the new strategic possibilities in the Gulf region.

Challenged perception of Gulf in the Indian Foreign Policy 

• Viewed through the Prism of Pakistan: India’s narrow bureaucratic approach to the Gulf was incapable of a political engagement with the region as the discussions were focussed on Pakistan.
• The Gulf is seen as the source of extremist ideology: that destabilized the Subcontinent and beyond.

Changed perception if the Gulf region:

• Rise of “Khaleeji Capitalism”: The Gulf has moved the head of being just extractive petro-states to building impressive finance capital dominating various sectors like agriculture and real estate.
  • Increased geopolitical influence: For E.g. successful transformation of relations between Arab nations and Israel earlier this year.
  • Growing ability in extra-regional affairs: including Afghanistan, Lebanon, Libya and Somalia; delivering security through infrastructure development and acquiring military bases.
• Political and Social Moderation:
  • Expanding religion: The Gulf now seeks to expand the rights of women, promote tolerance, and develop a national identity that is not tied exclusively to religion.
  • Attracting foreign workers: through the decriminalization of alcohol use, permission for cohabitation among unmarried couples, criminalization of honour crimes against women, and the institution of long-term visas.

Recent Indian partnerships in the Western Indian Ocean:

• Strategic significance of Island states recognized: While India’s traditional focus was more on Mauritius and the large Indian diaspora there, PM visit to Seychelles and Mauritius boosted it.
• Maritime Partnership: India unveiled a maritime strategic partnership with France.
• Observer to the Indian Ocean Commission: a regional grouping that brings France’s island territory of Reunion together with Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
• Observer to the Djibouti Code of Conduct: a regional framework for cooperation against piracy between the states of the Gulf, the Horn of Africa and East Africa.

Way Forward for India in the Gulf Region:

• Insulate the Indian Diaspora: India has around 8 million workers in the Gulf; while a threat to the region’s economic stability is real, as the Gulf considers cutting back on foreign labour.
• Focus on economic diversification: in relations with the Gulf, away from the oil, towards sectors like renewable energy, smart cities and space commerce, and tapping the Gulf capital for investments.
  • When Indian PM travelled to UAE in 2015, Abu Dhabi committed to invest $75 billion in India.
• Bring scale and depth to the regional initiative: The UAE currently chairs the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and has been eager to work with India in developing joint infrastructure projects.

Conclusion: The real challenge for Indian establishment is to discard outdated perceptions of the Gulf and seize the new strategic possibilities with the region.