India's Saudi Policy: Bridge to the Future

Description

The book traces India’s Saudi Policy and locates the current state of bilateral relations and the challenges it faces. It argues that during the Cold War the relations were largely shaped by the Pakistan factor which in turn inhibited both sides from exploring the importance and value of one another. As a result, the relations were largely transactional and marginal. The end of the Cold War coincided with two interesting developments, namely, significant growth in India’s economic power and influence and the de-hyphenation of Pakistan from its Middle East policy. This resulted in greater political engagements between India and Saudi Arabia and was strengthened by the growing energy trade ties. For long expatiate population and haj have been the backbone of the relations, and they have been new instruments as India looks to enhance its engagements with the Kingdom through investments opportunities, political contacts, shared security concerns and strategic cooperation. India’s Saudi policy, however, face many challenges most importantly the regional instability, the Iran factor, low oil price and the international dynamics. The book will be the first comprehensive work on the India-Saudi relations. Though targeting a wider audience, it will be academically grounded and based on primary sources collected from India and Saudi Arabia. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Introduction (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 1-9 The Nehru Era (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 11-32 Drifting Apart (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 33-52 Islamic Dimension (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 53-81 Pakistan Factor (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 83-107 Palestine Factor (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 109-128 The Shift (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 129-148 Transformation (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 149-167 Energy, Economics and Expatriates (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 169-193 International Factors (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 195-214 Challenges (P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. Muddassir Quamar)....Pages 215-222 Back Matter ....Pages 223-327