DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

India and Eurasia

• The importance of the Eurasian region has increased as a result of the current geopolitical situation. India being one of the region's fastest-growing economies, connections between India and Eurasia are important.
• As 2023 gets underway, the world is embracing a "new normal" in which ancient and new fault lines in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific are being rearranged.

What is Eurasia?

• The largest continent on Earth, known as Eurasia, is made up entirely of Europe and Asia. According to certain geographers, Eurasia is one continent physiographically.
• Despite being regarded as separate continents since antiquity, Europe and Asia's borders are arbitrary and have historically been subject to change.
• Despite geographical continuity, over the centuries, Europe and Asia developed into distinct political and cultural realms.
• Eurasia is a tectonic plate that geographically underlies much of Europe and Asia. However, there is no universal agreement on what constitutes the region when it comes to governmental boundaries.

Changing geopolitics in Eurasia:

• Over the past few years, Eurasia has been one of the most economically active regions of the world, with an average annual per capita income growth rate of about 4-5%.
• In an effort to create an Asian order that is centered on China, China is making great efforts to construct a new economic system and security measures without the US.
• The Belt and Road Initiative's advancement across Central Asia, Russia, and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as Europe's growing economic dependency on China, have enhanced Beijing's enormous leverage in Eurasia.
• While South Korea, which occasionally disagrees with Japan, tries to increase its profile in Europe, Japan is working to forge solid military alliances with the continent.
• Poland is receiving key armament platforms from South Korea.
• Equally eager to include Europe in the Indo-Pacific is Australia, which has joined the US and UK in the AUKUS (Australia, the UK, and the US) agreement.
• Japan, South Korea, and Australia are working together to bridge the gap between Asia and Europe, which have traditionally been considered distinct geopolitical theatres.
• Days ahead of the Russia-Ukraine War, China and Russia both signed a document pledging an alliance "without boundaries" and with no "forbidden territories."
• China purposely refrained from taking sides in Europe's disputes with Russia despite its efforts, which have been mainly successful, to cultivate Europe since the 1990s.

India-Eurasia relations:

Historical aspect:

• Eurasia was home to several ancient civilizations that engaged in trade and cultural exchange, including those in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and China.
• There are many historical and cultural similarities between the people of Siberia and the Indian Himalayas due to common traditions and a shared Buddhist culture.
• With the arrival of the British and the foundation of the English as a territorial force on the subcontinent, India's influence was extended into Central Asia.
• Delhi's Indo-Pacific policy has benefited from intensive Indian diplomacy in recent years as it gains institutional and political support. It must now make a "Eurasian" policy with the same level of effort.
• The recalibration of India’s continental strategy is involved in Eurasia, while the Indo-Pacific is about Delhi’s new marine geopolitics.

India’s Eurasian Policy:

• International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC): The INSTC is a commendable endeavour that intends to connect Eurasia.
• It is a multi-modal transportation system that Iran, Russia, and India founded on September 12th, 2000 in St. Petersburg with the intention of encouraging transportation cooperation among the Member States.
• Eleven new nations have joined the INSTC, including the Republics of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, the Republic of Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, Syria, and Bulgaria (Observer).

Security Dialogue:

• As part of creating a Eurasian strategy, the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan was conducted in 2021.

The national security adviser for India invited his colleagues from China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Central Asia, and Pakistan to participate in this meeting.

• China and Pakistan didn't attend the summit, though. The fact that Pakistan is reluctant to cooperate with India on Afghanistan illustrates Delhi's ongoing difficulty working with Islamabad to develop a new Eurasian strategy.

Eurasia's importance to India:

• Due to the strategic peninsular location of Eurasia, which connects a number of subregions of Asia and West Asia, it is essential for India's ambition to become an economic hub.
• Eurasia offers India a huge tourism prospect because of its sizable population and close proximity.
• The pharmaceutical and medical industries have a lot of room for cooperation.
• In order to strengthen its relationship with Eurasia, India is willing to build civic hospitals there.
• India wants to establish a Central Asian e-network that will link the five Central Asian nations and enable access to tele-education and telemedicine.
• Central Asia, the geographic heart of emerging Eurasia, is part of India's wider vicinity and is crucial from a strategic standpoint.

Other Countries Eurasian Policies:

USA’s Interests in Eurasia:

• The rise of Eurasia does not appear to be sufficiently taken into account by Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy.
• The South China Sea and the western Pacific are where the US has the most interests in Asia. These two areas are a long way from the center of the Eurasian theatre.
• Washington has started to re-evaluate its strategic ties to Eurasia in light of China's increasing difficulties in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain.

Russia:

• Russia struggled to integrate into either the European or Asian powers but considered itself as both.
• Together, Russia and China revealed a Eurasian alliance in the hopes that it would be the long-awaited final blow to Western hegemony.

India-Eurasia Relations' Challenges:

• India was physically shut off from inner Asia as a result of the subcontinental division and Eurasian geopolitics.
• Due to its dominance in the industrial supply chain, BRI-scale infrastructure projects, and ever-expanding trade with the EU, Beijing has positioned itself in a very formidable position over the entire Eurasia region.
• Large-scale transportation initiatives like the INSTC, Ashgabat Agreement, Chabahar Port, and others are postponed for a number of reasons, including a shortage of funding, misgivings about public confidence, and western sanctions against Iran and Russia.
• The current conflicts in Belarus, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Kazakhstan are having an effect on the security and stability of the entire area.
• But the battle between China and Russia and the US, Europe, and Japan is now severe and doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

Way Forward

• India has a great opportunity to strengthen its influence in Eurasia and can act as a counterbalance despite the Indo-Pacific region gaining more attention.
• Act East Policy, Connect Eurasia Policy, and Indo-Pacific Strategy must all be balanced in India.
• India must put as much effort into creating a "Eurasian" policy as Japan and South Korea do. The recalibration of India's continental strategy is involved in Eurasia, while the Indo-Pacific is about Delhi's new marine geopolitics.

India and Maldives

• When the Maldives presidential election was just around the corner, the Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) paid a visit to the country.

Background:

• The Maldives' desire for stronger ties with China and India's fears over Chinese dominance in the area have strained the relationship in recent years.
• Former president and head of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Nasheed, has voiced opposition to the incumbent president's (Solih) decision to compete for a second term inside his own party.
• Although Solih explicitly supports "India First," he also takes pains to avoid offending China.
• Yameen, who previously ran the "India Out" campaign, had a pro-China slant and said that the MDP government had betrayed the country by allowing Indian forces to be stationed there.
• In this regard, the External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, visited the Maldives to meet with the top officials there and signed a number of agreements, including development projects.

What occurred while the External Affairs Minister(EAM) was there?

• Inaugurated the Indian-built Hanimadhoo airport in the Haaa Dahaalu atoll, which cost $136.8 million.
• After the $500 million Greater Male Connectivity project, which seeks to link the capital of the Maldives to three neighbouring highlands, this is the second-largest infrastructure project in India.
• Both are high-profile initiatives for Delhi that compete in size with the Male-Hulumale-Hulhule Bridge and the Hulumale Airport, both of which were built by the Chinese.
• Both nations have agreed to provide 100 million Rufiyaa (the Maldivian currency) in aid for the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) program.
• Inaugurated a community centre financed by India in the adjacent Shaviyani atoll's Foakaidhoo island.
• The Ministry of Defense of the Maldives will get two maritime ambulances from India for use in emergencies and humanitarian crises.
• India will contribute 10,000 textbooks, to be delivered in 260 schools in the Maldives
• Construction of a sports centre in Gahdhoo and academic cooperation between Cochin University of Science & Technology and the Maldives National University.

How have relations between India and the Maldives been?

• After the Maldives gained their independence in 1965, India was one of the first nations to recognize them and establish diplomatic ties with them.
• One of the Maldives' closest allies and partners historically has been India.
• India has helped the Maldives militarily, technically, and economically.

Security Partnership:

• Defense cooperation includes joint exercises such as "Operation Shield," "Ekuverin," "Dosti," and "Ekatha" (begun in 2021).
• For the Maldivian National Defense Force (MNDF), India offers the most training possibilities, covering over 70% of their needs in this area.

Economic collaboration:

• The mainstay of the Maldivian economy is tourism. Some Indians now travel extensively to the nation, while others move there in search of employment.
• The Greater Male Connectivity Project, the largest-ever infrastructure project in the Maldives, was contracted to an Indian company named Afcons in August 2021. (GMCP).
• India is now the Maldives' second-largest trading partner after falling to fourth place in 2018. In 2021, bilateral trade increased by 31% from the previous year, overcoming hurdles brought on by the pandemic.
• On July 22, 2019, RBI and the Maldives Monetary Authority concluded a bilateral USD currency swap agreement.

Rehabilitation Center:

• Contract for the Addu reclamation and shore protection project of USD 80 million is signed.
• A drug detox and rehab facility in Addu constructed with Indian assistance.
• The rehab center is one of 20 high-impact community development initiatives that India is putting into place in sectors like healthcare, education, fisheries, tourism, sports, and culture.

Infrastructure Projects:

• A brand-new terminal will be added to the Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project as part of an Indian credit line to accommodate 1.3 million passengers annually.
• Indian External Affairs Minister opened the National College for Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) in 2022.
• The largest grant initiative carried out by India in the Maldives is NCPLE.

Challenges:

• Political unrest: Tensions between the two nations and political unrest in the Maldives have resulted from a constitutional crisis and a change in leadership.
• India is concerned about China's expanding influence in the Maldives, which includes significant infrastructure projects and financing.
• Economic problems: The Maldives has been experiencing an economic crisis, which has caused development project delays and debt problems.
• Radicalization: Over the past ten years or more, more Maldivians have become attracted to terrorist organisations like the Islamic State (IS) and jihadist groups based in Pakistan.

Way Forward

• To guarantee regional security in South Asia and adjacent maritime borders, India must play a significant role within the Indo-Pacific security space.
• The development of extra-regional powers (particularly China's) in India's maritime sphere of influence led to the creation of the Indo-Pacific security space.
• India should make an effort to assert its leadership in the Indian Ocean region, but not at the expense of the Maldives supporting Chinese interests.