This book delves into the examination of bilateral relations between India and Vietnam in the 21st century and how the Indo-Pacific as a geo-political construct lends itself to the improvement of their engagement. With the rise and increasing assertiveness of China, the slow growth of the United States, the resurgence of Japan, and the oscillating role of ASEAN as a multilateral organization, the Indo-Pacific has emerged as a theatre of international geostrategic competition. This book studies these changing geopolitical realities and new evolving strategic configurations, while addressing political, economic, defence, and strategic aspects of the relationship along with the role of China and the US in facilitating ties. India’s Act East Policy that was upgraded from the Look East Policy – one of the main drivers for India’s increasing presence in the Asia-Pacific region – is also examined in this volume. An important intervention in the study of international relations, this book will be indispensable to students and researchers of maritime studies, security studies, politics and international relations, geopolitics, and Asian studies.

This book delves into the examination of bilateral relations between India and Vietnam in the 21st century and how the Indo-Pacific as a geo-political construct lends itself to the improvement of their engagement. With the rise and increasing assertiveness of China, the slow growth of the United States, the resurgence of Japan, and the oscillating role of ASEAN as a multilateral organization, the Indo-Pacific has emerged as a theatre of international geostrategic competition. This book studies these changing geopolitical realities and new evolving strategic configurations, while addressing political, economic, defence, and strategic aspects of the relationship along with the role of China and the US in facilitating ties. India's Act East Policy that was upgraded from the Look East Policy--one of the main drivers for India's increasing presence in the Asia-Pacific region--is also examined in this volume. An important intervention in the study of international relations, this book will be indispensable to students and researchers of maritime studies, security studies, politics and international relations, geopolitics, and Asian studies.

Over the course of four decades of the Cold War, Chakraborti and Chakraborty analyse India’s path from nonalignment towards realism and self-assertion, and finally to confidence-building and interdependence with respect to their neighbours in Southeast Asia. What were the reasons for India’s shift from non-alignment to a more pragmatic approach to foreign relations in its relationships with both the non-Communist states of ASEAN and the Communist States of Indochina? How was this shift perceived by those countries? To what degree were Pakistan’s foreign and defence policies responsible for India’s changes in alignment throughout the Cold War? What lessons can we draw from these events, as the Indo-Pacific is again becoming a major arena of great power rivalry? In order to address these questions, Chakraborti and Chakraborty study the development of India’s foreign and security policies throughout the period, tracking the changes of stances between and within administrations. They evaluate how these decisions were driven by a combination of ideology, pragmatism and changes in priorities as the regional architecture developed over time. A valuable read for scholars and students of India’s foreign relations and of Indo-Pacific geopolitics more broadly.

The end of the Cold War and economic liberalization in India marked a new turn in Indian diplomacy. The 'Look East' policy promulgated in the early 1990s entailed several strategic and economic initiatives aimed at deepening India's ties with Southeast Asia, which had been neglected earlier. Despite the launch of the program a decade and a half ago, Indias involvement with the region proved to be fitful. With the 'Act East' initiative, which was launched in 2014, there appears to be a renewed emphasis on forging working relationships with various states in the region. This volume, part of the Oxford International Relations in South Asia series, presents an overarching assessment of the contents, successes, and failures of India's Southeast Asia policy, with important pointers to how this relationship could be steered in the future. The contributors to the volume dwell on three critical areas- trade, security, and environment- and outline the existing ties of Indias northeast with Southeast Asia and the prospects of their expansion.

This title, first published in 1990, provides a close contextual analysis of how influential Indian policy-makers have perceived India's interests within the ASEAN region since Indian independence in 1947. Placing these perceptions in the context of India's broad strategic and foreign policy framework, Ayoob analyses the policies which had emerged by the close of the 1980s and stresses the close link between the futures of the two regions. Including a thorough analysis of superpower involvement, as well as Indian relations with Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, this is a comprehensive study of great value to students with an interest in Indian and Southeast Asian history and diplomacy.