India’s Southeast Asia strategy: Between rivalry and partnership
Author(s): Himanshu Adhikari and Sudheer Singh Verma
Abstract: The end of the twentieth century saw two significant events that transformed India’s foreign policy. First, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Cold War ended, and the world transitioned from bipolarity to unipolarity, with the United States now being the only superpower. Second, during this time, India saw its worst economic crisis. The government under PV Narasimha Rao brought economic reforms, marking a pivot in India’s monetary policy. The financial crisis of 1991 became a driver for India’s Look East Policy. Indian government launched the Look East Policy in 1991 to foster greater economic relations with countries of Southeast Asia. A remarkable change came in 2014 when the BJP-led government under Narendra Modi’s premiership decided to rename the “Look East Policy” to “Act East Policy”, showing its keenness to act rather than not just look. This article sheds light on India’s historical relationship and civilisational influence in Southeast Asia. It further identifies India’s strategic interest in Southeast Asia and seeks to analyse how India is navigating the challenges emerging before achieving its strategic interests.
Himanshu Adhikari, Sudheer Singh Verma. India’s Southeast Asia strategy: Between rivalry and partnership. Int J Hist 2025;7(2):16-24. DOI: 10.22271/27069109.2025.v7.i2a.361
