Partisanship and Pragmatism in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy: Navigating Complex Regional Relationships
This essay reviews Gowdara Shivamurthy’s article titled “Debating Partisanship in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy,” published on the ORF website on October 18, 2024. It explains that India’s Neighbourhood First policy used to mainly support friendly leaders and political parties. However, it has now become more practical. India needs to balance its interests while dealing with changing politics in South Asia. To keep the region stable and counter outside influences like China, India must work even with governments that are not as friendly as before.
Introduction
India’s Neighbourhood First policy, launched in 2014, is designed to prioritise strong relationships with neighbouring countries, ensuring peace, stability, and mutual development in South Asia. This policy aims to create a secure regional environment that promotes economic growth and cooperation. Traditionally, India’s approach has been characterised by partisanship, favouring specific leaders and political parties that aligned with its interests. However, in recent years, India has shifted towards a more pragmatic strategy, recognising the complex geopolitical realities and the growing influence of external powers like China. This essay explores how India’s Neighbourhood First policy navigates the tension between partisanship and pragmatism, focusing on how it engages with both friendly and less-friendly regimes to further its strategic goals.
Partisanship: The Traditional Pillar of India’s Neighbourhood Policy
Historically, India’s Neighbourhood First policy has been guided by a strong preference for working with leaders and political parties that it considers friendly and cooperative. This partisanship stems from India’s desire to ensure that its neighbours align with its strategic interests, fostering an environment conducive to bilateral cooperation.
For instance, in Bangladesh, India has maintained close relations with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party, which have been supportive of Indian interests, particularly in areas such as counterterrorism and regional security. India’s consistent support for pro-India political factions in Nepal, such as the Nepali Congress, is another example of its partisan approach. These relationships are built on shared cultural and historical ties, as well as security concerns, such as managing open borders and mitigating anti-India sentiment in the region.
This preference for working with friendly leaders has allowed India to maintain stability and foster strong diplomatic and economic relationships. However, it has also led to criticism that India is acting as a “big brother,” interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours. India’s decision to cancel a state visit to the Maldives in 2015 when former president Mohamed Nasheed was imprisoned highlighted its strong partisan stance, as it sought to avoid legitimising the government of Nasheed’s successor, whom India viewed as less aligned with its interests.
Pragmatism: A Necessary Shift in Policy
As regional dynamics have evolved, particularly with the rise of China’s influence, India has realised the need to adopt a more pragmatic approach in its foreign policy. While partisanship remains a feature of India’s engagement with its neighbours, there is a growing recognition that India cannot afford to exclusively rely on friendly governments. This shift has been driven by several key factors.
First, China’s increasing presence in South Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has presented a significant challenge to India’s traditional influence in the region. China’s infrastructure investments in countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal have prompted India to reconsider its rigid alignment with friendly governments. In response, India has begun engaging with regimes that may not be as supportive of its interests but are crucial for maintaining regional stability and economic partnerships.
Second, India has recognised that even friendly administrations may not always further its strategic goals. For example, while India enjoys a strong relationship with Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina’s government, it has had to engage cautiously with the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Despite their differences, India has opened channels of dialogue with the BNP to ensure that future transitions in power do not destabilise the bilateral relationship.
This pragmatic approach also reflects India’s understanding that public criticism or harsh measures against non-friendly governments could push them further into China’s sphere of influence. For example, India’s willingness to engage with the Maldives, even during periods of strained relations under pro-China governments, demonstrates its desire to maintain open lines of communication rather than allow geopolitical tensions to escalate.
Economic Leverage and Connectivity as Tools for Building Long-Term Relationships
One of the key elements of India’s evolving Neighbourhood First policy is its use of economic leverage and connectivity projects to maintain influence in the region. By investing in infrastructure and development across South Asia, India seeks to create long-term economic dependencies that transcend political changes and foster continued cooperation.
India has prioritised regional connectivity through projects like the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) corridor, which enhances trade and transport links between these countries. Similarly, India has been involved in building cross-border infrastructure, including roads, railways, and energy pipelines in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. These projects are not only intended to facilitate trade and economic growth but also to strengthen regional ties and counterbalance China’s BRI.
India has also extended lines of credit and development assistance to its neighbours, providing low-interest loans to support projects that align with both India’s and its neighbours’ interests. Between 2015 and 2023, India significantly increased its financial assistance to countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Maldives, helping to fund a variety of infrastructure and development projects. This economic outreach strengthens India’s position as a key partner, encouraging regional cooperation even when political relations are strained.
These efforts have proven particularly useful in countering China’s influence in the region. While China has focused on large-scale investments that often lead to debt dependence, India’s approach is built on sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships. By investing in infrastructure and development, India ensures that its neighbors continue to see it as a reliable and trustworthy partner.
Challenges and Limitations of Pragmatic Engagement
Despite India’s shift toward a more pragmatic Neighbourhood First policy, it continues to face significant challenges in the region. One of the key limitations of this approach is the difficulty of ensuring that non-friendly governments respect India’s core interests. For example, governments that have strong ties to China may not always be willing to cooperate with India on security or economic issues, creating friction in bilateral relations.
Moreover, nationalist sentiments and domestic politics in neighbouring countries often complicate India’s efforts to engage pragmatically. In Nepal, anti-India rhetoric is sometimes used by political leaders to rally domestic support, particularly in relation to ongoing border disputes. In Sri Lanka, similar nationalist sentiments have led to periodic tensions between the two countries, especially when Sri Lanka’s government leans closer to China for economic and military support.
Moreover, partisanship remains a double-edged sword for India. While friendly governments offer stability, relying too heavily on specific leaders or parties can backfire when political power shifts. For instance, India’s strong alignment with Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh has been beneficial, but it leaves India vulnerable if the BNP were to come to power and adopt policies less favourable to India’s interests.
Balancing Partisanship and Pragmatism
India can strike a balance between partisanship and pragmatism in its foreign policy by engaging with both friendly and less-friendly governments in the region. Traditionally, India has supported leaders and parties that align with its interests, but as political landscapes shift in neighboring countries, India must remain flexible. By engaging beyond long-time allies, India can ensure its regional influence is not dependent on specific governments. Building relationships based on shared interests—such as trade, security, and infrastructure—allows India to maintain ties with all countries, regardless of political affiliation. This approach ensures that India’s influence remains steady even when political power changes hands.
Additionally, India should focus on promoting regional stability and development, which benefits all neighbouring countries, regardless of their internal politics. By investing in cross-border projects, providing disaster relief, and encouraging economic growth, India can foster goodwill across the region. Maintaining strategic independence and leveraging relationships with global powers like the U.S. and Russia will also help India avoid over-reliance on any one partner. These steps will allow India to maintain its influence while adapting to changing political dynamics, ensuring that its foreign policy remains both pragmatic and effective.Top of FormBottom of Form
Conclusion
India’s Neighbourhood First policy reflects its ongoing efforts to secure peace, stability, and prosperity in South Asia. While partisanship has traditionally played a significant role in shaping India’s relationships with its neighbours, the country has increasingly adopted a more pragmatic approach in response to the complex political landscape of the region. By balancing its engagement with friendly governments and less-friendly regimes, and by leveraging economic ties and connectivity projects, India seeks to maintain its influence and protect its strategic interests. As the geopolitical dynamics of South Asia continue to evolve, India’s ability to navigate the delicate balance between partisanship and pragmatism will be critical to the success of its Neighbourhood First policy.
