Title: Connect Central Asia Policy and Indian Outfoxing
Abstract: IntroductionIndia and Central Asia had been enjoying civilizational and historical relations since millennia. India has remained dormant to extend cordial and bilateral relations with Central Asian republics after the breakup of the USSR. But the endowed natural resources made it very crucial for India from geopolitical and geo-economic perspective. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, three of the five Central Asian countries are sharing borders with Afghanistan which further attaches strategic significance to the region for the Indian foreign policy. Despite India's geostrategic and geopolitical interests in this region, unfortunately, the bilateral cooperation did not realize to the full potential. In the 1990s, some important events took place in the international relations. Withdrawal of USSR from Afghanistan, the end of the Cold War, breakup of USSR- all left indelible ramifications for Indian security in the changing geostrategic environment. Although, India had shared very deep relations in the remote past with Central Asia but it failed to concretize its relations with the regions in the post-Cold War era because of its internal political and economic dynamics. With the onset of the New Great Game and some drastic changes in the international politics such as withdrawal of USSR from Afghanistan in 1989 and end of the Cold War brought India closer to Central Asia. Geopolitical and geostrategic importance of Central Asia for India has been enhanced by these internal and external dynamics. The geopolitical and geostrategic salience of the region for the Indian foreign policy has been highlighted in the Indian's Ministry of Defence's Annual Report (2009-10) on account of its geographical proximity, historical and cultural links etc. The Indian Prime Minister's address to the Combined Commanders Conference in October 2010 highlighted the importance of Central Asia in these words:.... The discovery of large reserves of hydrocarbons and other resources needed for sustaining economic growth makes the Central Asian region immensely attractive for forging a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship.1India's Geostrategic Interests in Central AsiaCentral Asia holds a paramount strategic significance for India. It is lying between the two nuclear powers of Russia and China. Afghanistan is falling in the 'Arc of Turbulence' and Central Asia has been sharing long border with Afghanistan. As pointed out by the some strategic commentators, Afghanistan is known for its religious extremism in both the regions South and Central Asia. From Kashmir point of view, it is a major cause of concern for India. Similarly, many terrorist outfits from Afghanistan share ethnic and religious proximity with the Central Asian terrorist groups. Thus, both the regions have vital interests in each other's political and strategic stability. Seeing Kashmir problem, India cannot afford to be isolated itself from the geostrategic and geopolitical dynamics of the regions. Central Asian experts have pointed out that uncontrolled religious extremism in the CARs could invigorate the same in Kashmir.2 Sharing geographical proximity, it is considered that India's strategic concerns are closely tied up with the regions bordering its north and northwest parts. Under such circumstances, India cannot afford to remain segregated from this region.3 Peace, stability and security are considered important elements for the development of the economy of any region. Afghanistan is a sharing geographical proximity with both India and Central Asian countries. Instability in Afghanistan has adversely influenced peace and security and is the potential threat to destabilize the whole region.4 India's major concern is that Taliban's re-emergence in Afghanistan and support from Pakistan would amplify the pressure on Kashmir and facilitate Pakistan's strategic outreach to South Asia.5 If both the regions do not cooperate with each other, the security environment of both the regions which is already under severe stresses, is likely to become more explosive. …
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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