Qatar — a small but immensely wealthy Gulf peninsula — punches far above its size in India’s foreign policy, for one overwhelming reason: energy. As India’s largest supplier of both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and LPG, Qatar is nothing less than a lifeline of India’s energy security. Layered on top of that are a large…
India and Egypt are two of the world’s oldest civilisations, and their partnership carries the weight of that antiquity. Straddling the crossroads of Africa, West Asia and Europe and commanding the Suez Canal — the artery through which a large share of world trade passes — Egypt is a natural gateway and geo-strategic pivot for…
West Asia — the region stretching from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea across the Arabian Peninsula to the Persian Gulf — is one of the most consequential theatres for India’s foreign policy. It is simultaneously India’s energy storehouse, its largest labour destination, a major trading partner, and a volatile strategic frontier. Because so…
Introduction: The Maritime Neighbour Indonesia is India’s largest neighbour that most Indians never think of as a neighbour. At their closest point, India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie roughly 90 nautical miles from Indonesia’s Aceh province — the two countries share a maritime boundary and sit astride the Strait of Malacca, through which the bulk…
Introduction Fiji, like India, is a former British colony, and the two are bound by one of the deepest diaspora links in the world. India’s engagement with Fiji has acquired new strategic meaning under the Act East Policy and India’s wider Indo-Pacific outreach, with Fiji increasingly seen as a hub for India’s engagement across the…
Introduction India’s relationship with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) is unusual among its bilateral ties. Despite the DPRK’s international isolation, India is one of the few democracies to maintain a functioning embassy in Pyongyang, and it has historically kept open a channel of quiet, principled diplomacy with the reclusive state. The…
Introduction: Technology Meets Scale The relationship between India and the Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea) is one of the most complementary of India’s partnerships. It joins South Korea’s world-leading strength in advanced technology, manufacturing and capital with India’s market size, demographic scale and digital talent — a natural fit that both nations increasingly frame…
Introduction: Why Vietnam Matters Among all the countries of South East Asia, Vietnam occupies a uniquely trusted place in India’s strategic imagination. It is repeatedly described as a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy, and the relationship rests on a rare foundation of shared history, ideological affinity and mutual trust untainted by any conflict…
Introduction: Two Democracies of the Indo-Pacific India and Australia are two vibrant democracies bound by shared Commonwealth traditions, the common law, the English language and a growing web of people-to-people ties. Their engagement is not new — it dates back to 1788, when the British East India Company conducted its early trade with the Australian…
Introduction: Why South East Asia Matters South East Asia (SEA) lies to the south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent and north-west of Australia. It is a belt of eleven countries split into a mainland zone (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam) and a maritime zone (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Timor-Leste). Home to…
