- Friday, February 28, 2025
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are actively seeking to strengthen their relations with India, which marks a significant shift considering their historical alignment with Pakistan, the FP article says.
By: India Weekly Staff
AN article in Foreign Policy, a prominent US magazine focused on global affairs, has highlighted India’s emergence as a “major player” in the Middle East as one of the most significant geopolitical developments in the region in years.
The article emphasized India’s deepening ties with countries in the region such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, reflecting the changing international order and the eagerness of those nations to benefit from the new multipolarity.
According to the author, Steven A Cook, the United States may paradoxically benefit from India’s growing presence in the Middle East. While the US may no longer be the dominant power in the region, India’s expanding role prevents Russia and China from assuming that position. Cook argued that it is better for the US’s Middle Eastern partners to have alternative choices, with India being one of them.
The article points out that India’s interest in the Middle East has increased over the past decade. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are actively seeking to strengthen their relations with India, which marks a significant shift considering their historical alignment with Pakistan. The pivot to India is driven by shared interests in containing extremism and economic opportunities.
“While US officials and analysts are obsessed with every diplomatic move Beijing makes and eye Chinese investment in the Middle East with suspicion, Washington is overlooking one of the most interesting geopolitical developments in the region in years: the emergence of India as a major player in the Middle East,” Cook wrote.
India’s relations with Israel are also highlighted as one of the most well-developed in the region. The ties between the two countries have expanded rapidly, particularly in high tech and defense sectors, following prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017 and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return visit next year. The article mentioned growing economic ties, such as the Adani Group’s involvement in Israel’s Haifa Port tender and ongoing negotiations for an India-Israel free trade agreement.
While acknowledging the complexities of the India-Israel relationship, including India’s support for Palestinians and friendly ties with Iran, the article argued that India’s role in the Middle East should not be viewed solely through the lens of great-power competition with China.
Referring to Modi’s recent two-day visit to Egypt, it said by all measures, this was an episode in the ongoing Egyptian-Indian love fest, coming about six months after Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was the guest of honour at India’s 74th Republic Day celebration in January — his third visit to New Delhi since assuming power.
The author suggests that India’s growing role in the region could serve as an additional counterweight to China and provide opportunities for the US to contain China’s influence. However, the article cautioned that India’s divergent stance on Iran and other regional issues means that it is unlikely to align completely with the United States. Washington should manage its expectations and understand that India’s expanding ties in the Middle East have their own dynamics and objectives.
(With agency inputs)
