The shifting sands of West Asia & the Gulf

India must undertake a careful analysis of the political and social transformation in the region as it may impact our own society

India’s western neighbourhood stretching from Iran to Turkey has been in perpetual turmoil over the past decade and more. The developments in this region should be of major concern to our foreign policy. Over six million Indians live and work in the Gulf kingdoms and their remittances contribute a significant amount to our foreign exchange earnings. This region is also a major source of India’s energy supplies despite efforts to diversify to other sources. And finally there are strong religious and cultural cords that link our own diverse population to the ethnic, religious and cultural cousins who inhabit these ancient