India’s Political Challenges in West Asia after the Hormuz Crisis: Diplomacy, Energy Security and Strategic Recalibration

Abstract

West Asia is key to formulating India's foreign policy due to energy, trade, and security relations. The major issue pertaining to the region is security concern related to the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a huge quantity of the world’s oil and LNG. Any disruption there has a direct impact on India due to its varied energy requirements and the country’s wide political relations in the area. The crisis of Hormuz brought to light the limitations of Indian external policy, compelling a review of the old approach. This paper focuses on hurdles in the political system of India concerning the West Asia region post-Hormuz crisis, while analysing Indian diplomacy in the context of energy security and strategy. By interpreting the geopolitical context with a review of literature, policy documentation and recent governmental reports, the aim is to understand the way India is balancing its strategic autonomy against the need to maintain friendly relations with all the regional players. In this context, the paper argues that India is moving beyond a Hormuz-centric policy, which is a transactional practice, to a multi-dimensional, strategic engagement which is reflected in energy security, maritime, economic, and defense cooperation. To achieve this, it is essential that India modernizes and strengthens its trade relations in West Asia. The ongoing research on India’s relations with West Asia, essentially explores the adaptive nature of Indian foreign policy in an increasingly disrupted and a multi-polar world.