What Is Look West Policy? | UPSC International Relations
International relations are important for any country. After successfully implementing the Look East Policy, India has adopted a similar policy that is Look West Policy to promote trade and investment with its West Asian Neighbors.
The Gulf countries have always cooperated with the Indian Government to promote peace and stability between them. The gulf countries are home to approximately 4 million Indians and they are also a major source of oil and gas. The implementation of the Look West Policy, there are many advantages included with it.
Advantages of the Look-West Policy
1. A constructive look west policy from India would acknowledge the geopolitical importance of Pakistan.
2. Instead of looking at Pakistan as an obstacle. It could become a link between the Indian sub-continent and an energy-rich region.
3. India will start gaining overland access to Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.
4. The building of pipelines across Pakistan’s territory would make it easy to construct highways linking India with Afghanistan and Iran.
5. Projects like interconnected electricity grids, natural gas pipelines, and highway roads will realize the new strategic conception of Pakistan as India’s gateway to the West.
6. India could try negotiating trade and transit treaties involving all 4 nations.
7. India could also suggest cooperation with Pakistan in encouraging free trade between South Asia and the Gulf Cooperation council.
Current Status Of The Look West Policy
1. India’s relationship with the Arab Gulf States undertook considerable changes and growth in the 1970s. India’s relations with Israel and Iran are rising largely since the early 1990s.
2. During the cold war, influenced by domestic politics, India openly sided with the Arab States and the Palestinian nationalist struggle.
3. India had to cope with increasingly crucial resolutions against its rule of Jammu and Kashmir from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
4. Israel not only supplied weapons to India, but it also provided greater value-added trade and investment.
5. During his visit, Modi and his Israeli counterpart. Benjamin Netanyahu signed deals on global development, agriculture, and space cooperation.
6. India’s relationship with Iran involves both national security and economic aspects.
7. Iran is also a key energy provider to India but also contributes to improving India’s security in Central and South Asia.
8. For India and Iran, the way of containing Pakistan lies through Afghanistan, one of the bases for global and cross-border terrorism.
9. India is improving its links with the West Asian nations without getting affected by the clash of interests that is affecting this region.
India’s look-west policy seems to be working fine, and it has retained strategic autonomy for a long time and is extremely skilled at it. India must take all the required steps to sustain its current position in the Middle East to have strategic independence along with prioritizing national interests.
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Tag:IAS, IFS, India, International Relations, IPS, IRS, Policies Of India, UPSC, West Policy
