India, Europe/the European Union and West Asia

Abstract

This chapter examines the substantial Indian interests in geopolitically important West Asia and discusses India’s expanding economic, political and strategic ties with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar and the significance of its opening up to Israel in the 1990s. It looks at India’s equidistant policy in intra-regional conflicts and evaluates the implications of the US decision to abrogate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran for both India and Europe. The chapter analyses how the problems of the region—terrorism, rising tide of migration, hotspots like Syria, Libya or the Iranian question—are increasingly becoming challenges for Europe. In conclusion, it argues that while the United States can live with sustained turmoil in the region, it is difficult for India and Europe to do so.