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UID:164@chanakyauniversity.edu.in
DTSTART:20260827T093000Z
DTEND:20260827T110000Z
DTSTAMP:20260916T111901Z
URL:https://chanakyauniversity.edu.in/events/a-report-on-webinar-india-and
 -the-west-asia-crisis-navigating-the-geopolitical-challenge/
SUMMARY:A Report on Webinar - India and the West Asia Crisis: Navigating
 the Geopolitical Challenge
DESCRIPTION:The Subhas Chandra Bose Chair of International Relations (SCB
 Chair of IR) at Chanakya University\, Bengaluru hosted an online talk by
 Dr. Meena Singh Roy titled ‘India and the West Asia Crisis: Navigating
 the Geopolitical Challenge’ on August 27\, 2026. Dr. Meena Singh Roy is
 Head\, West and Central Asia Centre at the Tillotoma Foundation. The talk
 and discussions centered around identifying key geopolitical challenges\,
 regional security shifts\, and connectivity projects that influence India's
 strategic and economic partnerships in West Asia. It was attended by
 students\, scholars from different institutions\, research interns and
 faculty from the SCB Chair of IR.\nWhile giving his welcome remarks\, Prof.
 Chetan Singai\, Dean\, School of Law\, Governance and Public Policy\,
 Chanakya University\, mentioned about the confusing set of perspectives
 coming from media on West Asian crisis\, pointing out the cultural hegemony
 inherent in terminology that privileges the term "Middle East" over "West
 Asia". He noted that this session was the third of its kind in a seminar
 series focused on the region\, following a first seminar on individual
 experiences in West Asia and a second on the historical ties and shared
 legacy between India and West Asia.\nDr. Meena Singh Roy began her talk by
 remarking that West Asia has never been a stable region and that even the
 more stable part of the region\, the Gulf\, is not as stable as it was
 believed to be. She noted that West Asia "is like a web - the more you
 dig\, the more you get entangled\," adding that the deluge of information
 about the region is itself a problem\, with even objectively regarded
 sources like Al Jazeera now viewed as partisan. Dr. Roy introduced the
 framework of 'Greater West Asia' which expands the traditional lens of
 'West Asia and North Africa' (WANA) and also includes Eurasia. She
 highlighted that the region's geographical position as the meeting point of
 three great faiths such as Islam\, Christianity\, and Judaism\, being
 coupled with its vast resources\, has historically invited external
 interventions\, creating a state of perpetual instability.\nDr. Roy pointed
 to the highly fractured and divided state of contemporary global politics
 as a primary driver of uncertainty. Alongside growing great power
 competition among the US\, China\, Russia\, and Iran\, she noted that the
 return of President Donld Trump introduces a new wave of uncertainty.
 Concurrently\, a new economic paradigm is emerging through South-South
 cooperation\, exemplified by the expansion of BRICS\, the SCO\, and the
 I2U2. Key connectivity and infrastructure projects\, such as the Belt and
 Road Initiative\, the International North-South Transport Corridor\, and
 the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)\, are moving at their
 own pace\, alongside an escalating struggle to acquire advanced civilian
 and military technologies\, including artificial intelligence.\nAt the
 regional level\, Dr. Roy observed a period of significant overlapping
 wars\, including the Russia-Ukraine war\, conflicts in Sudan\, Libya\,
 Yemen\, and the regime change in Syria. She identified October 7\, 2023 as
 a critical turning point for Israel\, which has shifted its national
 security discourse towards military deterrence against Iran\, Syria\, and
 Lebanon. Analysing Israel's four pillars of national security - deter\,
 defend\, alert\, and defeat\, she suggested that Israel failed on the first
 three and is now focusing on the fourth pillar to ensure a decisive defeat
 of its adversaries. This military campaign is reshaping the regional
 landscape\, replacing the Shia axis (with the demise of Hezbollah and
 Hamas) with a Sunni axis. She also spoke about multiple narratives which
 are emanating about the region including the intent of Israel to secure its
 interests by creating a Greater Israel.\nShe further noted that regional
 reactions reveal a palpable tension\; while the general public supports the
 Palestinian cause\, regional governments prioritise maximising the benefits
 of their interactions with Israel. The formal normalisation process\,
 including the future of the Abraham Accords with the UAE\, Bahrain\, and
 Morocco\, has been put on hold or rather delayed\, and Saudi Arabia's
 stance remains in doubt until a ceasefire is reached and progress is made
 toward a two-state solution. Despite these diplomatic strains\, deep
 economic dependencies persist\, as Egypt and Jordan remain heavily reliant
 on Israel for energy\, sourcing approximately 16 percent and 95 percent of
 their gas from Israel respectively.\nOn the Palestinian issue\, Dr. Roy
 remarked that near-term prospects are grim. She saw little hope for
 progress given Israel's new plans for Gaza\, continued US backing\, and
 limited room for internal political shifts in Israeli politics. While the
 international community could theoretically apply collective pressure on
 Israel\, such as European sanctions on Israel or the termination of
 diplomatic relations\; she argued that these measures are unlikely to be
 effective unless the pressure originates from the United States. It also
 needs to be factored into account that Israel's high-tech and defense
 capabilities continue to be utilised by both European powers and the
 US.\nTurning to India's strategic engagement\, Dr. Roy outlined the
 paradigm shift in India's regional foreign policy from "Look West" to
 "Think West" and now to "Link West" through enhanced security and economic
 cooperation. This "Act West" dynamism has gathered momentum with increased
 high-level visits between Heads of State and senior officials. India's
 growing interest is rooted in core economic and strategic priorities:
 promoting bilateral trade and investment\, securing energy security\,
 safeguarding the welfare and remittances of its massive diaspora\, and
 integrating with regional infrastructure plans.\nIn terms of connectivity\,
 Dr. Roy elaborated on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
 (IMEC)\, highlighting the UAE's critical role as India's primary port of
 entry. She cited the February 2024 Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement
 and subsequent agreements on logistics and digital ecosystems as the first
 tangible milestones since the corridor's G20 launch. After slow progress in
 2023–24\, momentum increased in 2025 with the first meeting of IMEC
 special envoys in New Delhi on August 05-06\, 2025\, where the Italian
 envoy underscored the digital dimension of the corridor through the Blue
 Raman submarine cable project connecting Mumbai to Genoa.\nTo sustain and
 expand cooperation\, Dr. Roy urged India to diversify its partnership with
 West Asian nations\, especially Oman\, Kuwait\, Qatar\, Bahrain\, Morocco\,
 Jordan\, and Egypt into emerging areas such as IT services\, cultural and
 educational cooperation\, disaster management diplomacy\, climate change\,
 food and water security\, space and cyber cooperation\, defence and
 counter-terrorism cooperation\, maritime security\, infrastructure\,
 agriculture\, health diplomacy\, preparedness for pandemics\, and education
 and banking.\nThe talk was followed by interesting discussions on the
 following themes:\n\n\n 	The geopolitical impact of President Trump's
 return on West Asia’s stability and the US-Iran-Russia dynamic.\n 	The
 future viability of the Abraham Accords and the normalisation process under
 current regional conflicts.\n 	Structural energy dependencies in the
 region\n 	The strategic significance of trans-regional corridors like IMEC
 and the integration of digital connectivity.\n 	India's multi-vector
 foreign policy approach in balancing relations with competing regional and
 global actors.\n\nThe webinar presented interesting research pointers for
 the SCB Chair’s IR activities in the domain of engagement with West Asia.
 Specifically\, it validates the suggestion for strengthening a purposeful
 multi-vector policy\, minimising overdependence on any single power\,
 exploring the digital and physical linkages of trans-regional connectivity
 projects like IMEC\, and deepening bilateral security and economic
 partnerships with key regional players based on trust and mutual
 interests.\n(The report was prepared by Mr. Cris Fernando Anand Perez\,
 Research Intern at the Subhas Chandra Bose Chair of International
 Relations\, Chanakya University\, Bengaluru)
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CATEGORIES:Subash Chandra Bose Chair
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