The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization that was established on 06 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. It was initially proposed by Thailand and was created in 1997 as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation). Later, the organisation came to be now known…
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an important regional organisation in South Asia. It was established on 8 December 1985. We have already discussed several issues in South Asia in the chapters in the previous section. It is clear that India needs a comprehensive South Asian policy to prosper in coherence with…
India’s South Asian policy has evolved significantly since its independence in 1947, shaped by changing regional dynamics, security concerns, and economic priorities. Initially, India adopted a more inward-focused approach, prioritizing domestic economic growth and nation-building. However, as the global and regional political landscape evolved, India’s strategy began to emphasize regional cooperation and security within South…
India shares profound historical and cultural ties with Myanmar. During the colonial period, both countries were under British India. After independence, the two countries cultivated a close relationship that culminated in the signing of the 1951 Treaty of Friendship. Jawahar Lal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister) and Myanmar’s premier U Nu shared common views on…
India and Maldives share ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic and commercial links steeped in antiquity. The relations have been close, cordial, multi-dimensional but mixed with several ups and downs. Indian Maldivian Bilateral relationship was formalized with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship in 1981. After the democratic transition took place in 2008, India’s relationship with…
India shares a 605-kilometer (376-mile) border with Bhutan. Both share unique and exemplary bilateral relations, which are based on mutual trust, goodwill, and understanding. The basic framework of India-Bhutan relations is the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949 between the two countries, which was renewed in 2007. Formal diplomatic relations between India and…
Nepal is a “priority partner” of India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy’. India and Nepal share a unique relationship of friendship characterized by open borders, shared culture and deep-rooted people-to-people contact. This relationship is also often described as the Roti-Beti relationship. With a long tradition of free movement of people across borders, a substantial number…
India and Sri Lanka have a legacy of cultural, intellectual, religious and linguistic interaction and the relationship between India and Sri Lanka. India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and its relation is more than 2500 years old. According to the Sri Lanka chronicles Dipavamsa, the Mahindra who was the son of Emperor Ashoka, introduced Buddhism…
India and Pakistan share historical and civilizational linkages. We can trace the historical connection in the Indus Valley civilisation, which was spread in both countries. Both were politically united under British India until the partition in 1947. India and Pakistan’s relationship has faced various ups and downs, thus often cited as a complex relationship. Mistrust…
We live in a ‘curious world’ where one cannot view engagement with different parties as a ‘zero-sum game’. –         S. Jaishankar (India’s Foreign Minister) What is Geopolitics? Geopolitics is the use of diplomacy, military, economy, territory, and political influence in a particular region to get one’s interest served. In International Relations, geopolitics is a method…