Modi is caught between a military alliance and crucial oil diplomacy in West Asia.
Narendra Modi is already on the home-stretch to finishing his second year in office as India’s prime minister but a visit to Israel—a country that most people thought he would rush to soon after assuming the coveted office in South Block—has not happened. And if MEA officials are to be believed, a prime ministerial visit to Israel will have to wait even longer— probably till next year. The delay is both interesting and intriguing. Has Modi had a change of heart or have the Israeli stocks (which were sup posed to rise in India under this government) suddenly started falling? Of course the latter is far from true even though the ground reality of West Asia has forced the BJP-led NDA government in Delhi to take a more pragmatic view on dealing with the countries in the region to safeguard India’s interest.
Weary South Block officials point out the obvious: juggling with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel—three major but hos tile powers in West Asia—and maintain ing strategic partnerships individually with each, will never be a walk in the park. But now Delhi has to cope with a more proximate dilemma: which of the three countries should the PM visit first?
The inherent rivalry between the three has only intensified in the wake of Iran’s nuclear deal with the US. The agreement not only brings Iran back in the main stream of the international community after years of isolation but also allows Tehran to reclaim its place in West Asian politics and lend its heft to rearrange the balance of power in the region.
This story is from the February 22, 2016 edition of Outlook.
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This story is from the February 22, 2016 edition of Outlook.
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