UPSC Editorial Analysis: India’s ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ Policies
Kartavya Desk Staff
*General Studies-2; Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.*
Introduction
• India’s engagement with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region has undergone a significant transformation since the post-Cold War era.
Historical Context and Evolution
Look East Policy (Post-Cold War Era)
• Introduced by PM PV Narasimha Rao in the early 1990s after the Cold War ended.
• Aimed to rectify India’s neglect of Southeast Asia despite deep cultural and historical ties.
• Primary objectives: Enhance trade and economic development. Forge stronger strategic and cultural connections with ASEAN nations. Draw inspiration from the economic success stories of East Asia.
• Enhance trade and economic development.
• Forge stronger strategic and cultural connections with ASEAN nations.
• Draw inspiration from the economic success stories of East Asia.
• Initial outcomes: Reduction of trade barriers to enhance commerce. Increased inbound tourism from Southeast Asia.
• Reduction of trade barriers to enhance commerce.
• Increased inbound tourism from Southeast Asia.
Act East Policy (Post-2014)
• Elevated the Look East policy to Act East under PM Modi.
• Key advancements: Greater emphasis on action-oriented outcomes. Integration of Northeast India as a critical fulcrum in policy implementation. Recognition of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic and economic priority.
• Greater emphasis on action-oriented outcomes.
• Integration of Northeast India as a critical fulcrum in policy implementation.
• Recognition of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic and economic priority.
• PM Modi’s *3 Cs* approach at the 2014 East Asia Summit: Commerce: Expanding trade and economic ties. Culture: Strengthening historical and cultural linkages. Connectivity: Building infrastructure and digital networks for seamless integration.
• Commerce: Expanding trade and economic ties.
• Culture: Strengthening historical and cultural linkages.
• Connectivity: Building infrastructure and digital networks for seamless integration.
Objectives and Achievements of Act East Policy
• Strategic Expansion
• Broadened focus from ASEAN to the broader Indo-Pacific region. Strengthened regional groupings like BIMSTEC, Asia Cooperation Dialogue, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Enhanced defense diplomacy: Sale of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines. Military logistics pact with Vietnam.
• Broadened focus from ASEAN to the broader Indo-Pacific region.
• Strengthened regional groupings like BIMSTEC, Asia Cooperation Dialogue, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
• Enhanced defense diplomacy: Sale of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines. Military logistics pact with Vietnam.
• Sale of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines.
• Military logistics pact with Vietnam.
• Economic and Trade Ties
• Reduction in trade barriers. Greater economic integration with Southeast Asia via Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Enhanced foreign investment flows from the region into India.
• Reduction in trade barriers.
• Greater economic integration with Southeast Asia via Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
• Enhanced foreign investment flows from the region into India.
• Cultural and Soft Power Diplomacy
• Promotion of shared cultural heritage, including epical traditions (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and Buddhist linkages. Cultural festivals like the Ramayan Festival involving Southeast Asian nations.
• Promotion of shared cultural heritage, including epical traditions (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and Buddhist linkages.
• Cultural festivals like the Ramayan Festival involving Southeast Asian nations.
• Connectivity
• Improved infrastructure development in Northeast India to serve as a gateway to Southeast Asia. Projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
• Improved infrastructure development in Northeast India to serve as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
• Projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
Challenges and Areas of Improvement
• Strategic and Economic Challenges
• Urbanization and industrial impact, particularly in Northeast India, threaten ecological and cultural sustainability. Competition from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which offers significant financial incentives to Southeast Asian countries.
• Urbanization and industrial impact, particularly in Northeast India, threaten ecological and cultural sustainability.
• Competition from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which offers significant financial incentives to Southeast Asian countries.
• Soft Power and Cultural Challenges
• China’s active claim over Buddhist heritage challenges India’s cultural narrative in the region. Lack of linguistic linkages hinders deeper engagement. Few universities in India offer language courses in key Southeast Asian languages like Khmer, Bahasa Indonesia, and Thai.
• China’s active claim over Buddhist heritage challenges India’s cultural narrative in the region.
• Lack of linguistic linkages hinders deeper engagement. Few universities in India offer language courses in key Southeast Asian languages like Khmer, Bahasa Indonesia, and Thai.
• Connectivity Bottlenecks
• Inadequate progress in key infrastructure projects like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. Northeast India’s underdeveloped transport and trade facilities limit its role as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
• Inadequate progress in key infrastructure projects like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.
• Northeast India’s underdeveloped transport and trade facilities limit its role as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
Key Pillars for Strengthening Act East Policy
Cultural Diplomacy
• Epical Traditions: Organize global Ramayana-Mahabharata conferences involving countries that share cultural links with these epics. Develop cultural organizations akin to BIMSTEC but centered on shared epical heritage.
• Organize global Ramayana-Mahabharata conferences involving countries that share cultural links with these epics.
• Develop cultural organizations akin to BIMSTEC but centered on shared epical heritage.
• Buddhism as a Soft Power Tool: Promote the Buddhist tourism circuit (e.g., Bodh Gaya, Sarnath) in a language-accessible format for Southeast Asian pilgrims. Organize global conferences on Buddhist studies. Develop digital platforms to disseminate India’s Buddhist legacy.
• Promote the Buddhist tourism circuit (e.g., Bodh Gaya, Sarnath) in a language-accessible format for Southeast Asian pilgrims.
• Organize global conferences on Buddhist studies.
• Develop digital platforms to disseminate India’s Buddhist legacy.
Linguistic Integration
• Offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Southeast Asian languages at central universities.
• Produce tourist guides, subtitles for films, and children’s literature in regional languages like Thai, Khmer, Bahasa Indonesia, and Burmese.
• Collaborate with Southeast Asian countries to host language exchange programs.
Economic and Connectivity Initiatives
• Expedite the completion of cross-border projects such as: India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.
• India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
• Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.
• Enhance trade facilitation measures for the Northeast region to engage with ASEAN markets.
Institutional and Defense Cooperation
• Deepen ties with ASEAN through security dialogues, military exercises, and intelligence-sharing mechanisms.
• Expand defense exports, leveraging indigenous weapon systems like BrahMos.
Future Prospects: “Attract East”
• India must evolve the *Act East* policy to *Attract East*: Make India a hub for Southeast Asian investments and tourism. Foster people-to-people connections through enhanced student exchange programs. Promote India’s image as a global leader in sustainability and green energy to appeal to Southeast Asian nations.
• Make India a hub for Southeast Asian investments and tourism.
• Foster people-to-people connections through enhanced student exchange programs.
• Promote India’s image as a global leader in sustainability and green energy to appeal to Southeast Asian nations.
Conclusion
• To fully realize the potential of Act East, India must address the challenges by leveraging its cultural heritage, enhancing connectivity, and fostering economic and linguistic ties.
• By doing so, India can not only deepen its engagement with Southeast Asia but also emerge as a pivotal player in the Indo-Pacific region.
Practice Question:
“The ‘Look East’ policy and its successor, ‘Act East’ policy, have significantly reshaped India’s relationship with Southeast Asia.” Discuss the evolution of these policies and their strategic, economic, and cultural impact on India’s foreign policy. (250 Words)