The Geopolitical Significance of the Gulf in India's Strategy

Authors

  • Author

  • Emad Y. Kaddorah

Keywords:

India, GCC States, Indian Ocean, China, Geopolitics, New Containment Policy

Abstract

Today, India is actively engaged in projecting its influence beyond its geographic proximity. It has a proactive policy based on national interests and driven by its growing needs, particularly for energy imports, and an ambition to achieve a position of global prominence. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is of great geopolitical importance to India's strategy because of its geographic proximity, the abundance of energy resources, the great financial assets, and as the place with the largest Indian immigrant community. Nevertheless, many regional contenders may challenge India's interests in the region. This article discusses the geopolitical and economic importance of the GCC states and their current position in India's strategy. It explores the driving forces behind novel strategic partnerships between them. It also analyses how third-party relations with the GCC states or India may affect their relationships, such as China, Pakistan, and Iran. It also focuses on the new containment policy of India and China and their geopolitical contest over the Gulf and the GCC's hydrocarbon and financial assets.

Author Biography

  • Emad Y. Kaddorah
    Researcher and Head of Editing Department, Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.

References

  1. Francis P. Sempa, Geopolitics: From the Cold War to the 21 st Century (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2002), p. 5.
  2. Anoushiravan Ehteshami, Dynamics of Change in the Persian Gulf: Political Economy, War and Revolution (New York, NY: Routledge, 2013), pp. 1, 15.
  3. Halford J. Mackinder, Democratic Ideals and Reality: A Study in the Politics of Reconstruction (Washington, DC: National Defense University Press; London: Constable Publishers, 1942), p. 78, accessed on 30/3/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2AmtdOL
  4. Christopher J. Fettweis, "Sir Halford Mackinder, Geopolitics, and Policymaking in the 21 st Century," Parameters (Summer 2000), accessed on 30/3/2018, at: http://goo.gl/d1PlEJ; Nicholas J. Spykman, The Geography of the Peace (New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1943), p. 43.
  5. X" (George F. Kennan), "The Sources of Soviet Conduct," Foreign Affairs (July 1947), pp. 566 - 582, accessed on 30/3/2018, at: http://goo.gl/QXNM
  6. Mohamed Riad, "Geopolitics and Politics in the Arab Gulf States," GeoJournal , vol. 13, no. 3 (October 1986), p. 201.
  7. Ehteshami, p. 19.
  8. BP Statistical Review of World Energy (June 2017), accessed on 1/12/2017, at: https://on.bp.com/2BMNpM6; OPEC, "OPEC Share of World Crude Oil Reserves" (2016), accessed on 1/12/2017, at: https://bit.ly/1jKA6cN; Sovereign wealth Fund Rankings (February 2018), accessed on 15/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2h9SfKm
  9. Ehteshami, p. 61.
  10. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, "The Gulf States and the Rebalancing of Regional and Global Power," James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (January 8, 2014), p. 5.
  11. Ibid., cited in D. Quah, "The Global Economy's Shifting Centre of Gravity," Global Policy , vol. 2, no. 1 (2011), p. 9.
  12. Ehteshami, p. 23.
  13. Ulrichsen, p. 3.
  14. Suchandra Ghosh, "Maritime Trade between the Persian Gulf and West Coast of India (C. 3 rd Century A.D. to 7 th Century A.D.)," Indian History Congress , vol. 64 (2003), p. 132.
  15. Tanvi Madan, "A Note on the China - India - US Triangle and India's Strategy," in: Krishnappa Venkatshamy and Princy George, G rand Strategy for India: 2020 and Beyond (New Delhi: Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses, 2012), p. 195.
  16. C. Raja Mohan, "India and the Balance of Power," Foreign Affairs , vol. 85, no. 4 (July - August 2006), p. 18.
  17. Ibid., pp. 18 - 19.
  18. Sarabjeet Singh Parmar, "The Maritime Dimension in India's National Strategy," in: Krishnappa Venkatshamy & Princy George, G rand Strategy for India: 2020 and Beyond (New Delhi: Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses, 2012), p. 84.
  19. N. Janardhan, "Gulf's Future Security Architecture and India," in: Ranjit Gupta et al. (eds.), India and the Gulf: What Next? (Cambridge: Gulf Research Centre, 2013), pp. 66 - 67.
  20. Janardhan, pp. 64 - 66, 68.
  21. يُنظر البرنامج الانتخابي لحزب الشعب الهندي: BJP Election Manifesto 2014 , pp. 39 - 40, accessed on 30/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/1qbRjwL
  22. Ranjit Gupta, "The Arab Spring and India," in: Ranjit Gupta et al. (eds.), India and the Gulf: What Next? p. 20; Ranjit Gupta, "India and the Gulf: Looking beyond Energy, Islam and the Diaspora," (November 26, 2013), accessed on 30/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2I19eKx
  23. Gupta, "India and the Gulf."
  24. Irudaya Rajan, "The Developmental Impact of Indian Migrant Workers in the GCC Countries," in: Impact of Labor Mobility on Sustainable Development (Abu Dhabi: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, 2013), pp. 38, 219.
  25. Abu Backer Bagader, "Look East: An Alternative Perspective for GCC Countries," in: Ranjit Gupta et al. (eds.), India and the Gulf: What Next? (Cambridge: Gulf Research Centre Cambridge, 2013), p. 12.
  26. Ankit Panda, "India and Saudi Arabia Sign Defense Cooperation Pact," The Diplomat , 27/2/2014, accessed on 1/5/2018, at: http://bit.ly/1PpgNV8
  27. The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, "India–Saudi Arabia Bilateral Relations," accessed on 24/10/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2F6WSzB
  28. Saudi - India ties flourishing on strong footing," Arab News , 26/1/2015, accessed on 14/8/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2I2JpJW
  29. Janardhan, pp. 70.
  30. PM Modi arrives in Qatar, economic cooperation high on agenda," Indian Express , 5/6/2016, accessed on 14/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2I1LyWu
  31. Modi Visit to Boost Trade Ties Between India and the UAE," Gulf News , 13/8/2015, accessed on 30/4/2018, at: http://bit.ly/1IX5mDC
  32. Joint Statement between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of India," The Hindu , 17/8/2015, accessed on 30/4/2018, at: http://bit.ly/1U2Lz7z
  33. Modi's Gulf visit: India, Oman signs 8 agreements as PM meets Sultan Qaboos," Standard Business, 12/2/2018, accessed on 30/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2vZsUJS
  34. Oman, India explore new avenues to boost trade and investment," Times of Oman , 16/7/2018, accessed on 30/8/2018, at: https://timesofoman.com/article/138257
  35. Mohan Malik, "India Balances China," Asian Politics & Policy , vol. 4, no. 3 (2012), p. 347.
  36. Ibid., pp. 354 - 355; Nirmala Ganaphathy, "India increases its presence in Indian Ocean, with an eye on China," The Straits Times , 8/11/2017, accessed on 28/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2r5PXho; "Indian military scrambles to keep up after China moves to put forces in Africa," CNBC , 28/2/2018, accessed on 28/4/2018, at: https://cnb.cx/2HCtjn5
  37. Indian military scrambles to keep up after China moves to put forces in Africa."
  38. David Brewster, "Indian Ocean base race: India responds," The Interpreter, Lowy Institute, 15/2/2018, accessed on 28/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2KoB8OQ
  39. David Brewster, "Indian Ocean base race: India responds," The Interpreter , Lowy Institute, 15/2/2018, accessed on 28/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2KoB8OQ
  40. The White House, "National Security Strategy of the United States of America," (December 2017), pp. 46 - 47, 50, accessed on 26/4/2018, at: https://bit.ly/2CzLLd7
  41. Ibid., pp. 25, 38.
  42. Ehteshami, p. 16.
  43. Bill Sanderson, "Saudi Arabia to buy nuclear bombs from Pakistan: report," The New York Times , 17/5/2015, accessed on 25/10/2018, at: https://nyp.st/2RmurmX
  44. Robert Mason, "Realizing the Indo - Saudi 'Strategic Partnership': An Analysis of the Leading Drivers," in: Gupta et al. (eds.), India and the Gulf , pp. 113–114.
  45. The White House, p. 50.
  46. King Salman, Indian prime minister confirm close ties," Arab News , 30/4/2015, accessed on 30/6/2017, at: https://bit.ly/1Fkb0w8
  47. Behzad Shahandeh, "India, Iran, and the GCC: Trilateral Cooperation in the Making," in: Ranjit Gupta et al. (eds.), India and the Gulf , pp. 77–79, 83.
  48. King Salman, Indian prime minister confirm close ties."

Downloads

PDF (Hosted in Arabic)
HTML (Arabic)

Published

2020-05-01

Usage statistics

43 views 51 downloads

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 044 (2020): Issue 044

Section

Studies

License

Copyright (c) 2020 Emad Y. Kaddorah (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.