THE INDIAN EXPRESS

APLN member C. Raja Mohan argues that the most significant change in India’s Middle East policy under Modi is the de-linking of regional diplomacy from religion, which remains understated. Read the original article here.

It was not surprising that the horrible Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend quickly acquired a domestic political dimension in India. Over the last few days, this newspaper has reported on the Congress Party’s difficulty reacting to the terror attack on Israel. If the main opposition party has flipped and flopped, the ruling BJP has been unambiguous in condemning the terror attack and expressing solidarity with Israel.That, in turn, lent a new wrinkle to the political sparring between the two parties on the commitment to fight terror in the election season.

The interactive political dynamic between India and the Middle East cuts deeper. Geopolitics of the Middle East in the 20th century inevitably intersected with the international relations of South Asia and acquired a more intensive character after Partition. However, the nature of that interaction has been changing in the 21st century. As the Middle East evolved in recent decades, so has Indian thinking. But the changes in Indian policy on the Middle East have been more consequential during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Image: An Israeli soldier stands in position at the entrance to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun