Indias Look East Policy

India's Look East Policy India’s Look East Policy India’s Look East Policy is an effort being made by the Indian government to cultivate and strengthen economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to solidify its standing as a  regional power.  This aspect of India’s foreign policy also serves to position India as a counterweight to the strategic influence of the Peoples Republic of China in the region. Initiated in 1991, it marked a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. It was developed and enacted during the government of Prime Minister  P.V. Narasimha Rao  and has continued to enjoy energetic support from the successive administrations of  Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi, each of whom represents a different political party in India. India’s Pre-1991 Foreign Policy Before the fall of the Soviet Union, India made scant efforts to foster close relationships with the governments of Southeast Asia. There are several reasons for this. First, due to its colonial history, India’s ruling elite in the post-1947 era had an overwhelmingly pro-Western orientation. Western countries also made for better trade partners as they were significantly more developed than India’s neighbors. Second, India’s physical access to Southeast Asia was barred by Myanmar’s isolationist policies as well as Bangladesh’s refusal to provide transit facilities through its territory. Third, India and the Southeast Asian countries were on opposing sides of the Cold War divide.   India’s lack of interest in and access to Southeast Asia between its independence and the fall of the Soviet Union left much of Southeast Asia open to China’s influence. This came first in the form of China’s territorial expansionist policies. Following Deng Xiaoping’s ascent to leadership in China in 1979, China replaced its policy of expansionism with campaigns to foster extensive trade and economic relations with other Asian nations. During this period, China became the closest partner and supporter of the  military junta  of Burma, which had been ostracized from the international community following the violent suppression of pro-democracy activities  in 1988. According to former Indian Ambassador Rajiv Sikri, India missed a crucial opportunity during this period to leverage India’s shared colonial experience, cultural affinities and lack of historical baggage to build strong economic and strategic relations with Southeast Asia. Implementation of the Policy In 1991, India experienced an economic crisis that coincided with the fall of the Soviet Union, which had previously been one of India’s most valued economic and strategic partners. This prompted Indian leaders to reevaluate their economic and foreign policy, which led to at least two major shifts in India’s position toward its neighbors. First, India replaced its protectionist economic policy with a more liberal one, opening up to higher levels of trade and striving to expand regional markets. Second, under the leadership of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, India ceased to view South Asia and Southeast Asia as separate strategic theaters.   Much of India’s Look East Policy involves Myanmar, which is the only Southeast Asian country that shares a border with India and is seen as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia. In 1993, India reversed its policy of support for Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement and began courting the friendship of the ruling military junta. Since then, the Indian government and, to a lesser extent, private Indian corporations, have sought and secured lucrative contracts for industrial and infrastructure projects, including the construction of highways, pipelines and ports. Before the implementation of the Look East Policy, China enjoyed a monopoly over Myanmar’s vast oil and natural gas reserves. Today, competition between India and China over these energy resources remains high.   Furthermore, while China remains Myanmar’s biggest weapons supplier, India has boosted its military cooperation with Myanmar. India has offered to train elements of the Myanmar Armed Forces and share intelligence with Myanmar in an effort to increase coordination between the two countries in combating insurgents in India’s Northeastern States. Several insurgent groups maintain bases in Myanmar territory. Since 2003, India has also embarked on a campaign to forge free trade agreements with countries and regional blocs throughout Asia. The South Asia Free Trade Agreement, which created a  free trade area  of 1.6 billion people in  Bangladesh,  Bhutan,  India,  Maldives,  Nepal,  Pakistan and  Sri Lanka, came into effect in 2006. The  ASEAN–India Free Trade Area  (AIFTA), a  free trade area  among the ten member states of the  Association of Southeast Asian Nations  (ASEAN) and  India, came into effect in 2010. India also has separate free trade agreements with Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. India has also boosted its cooperation with Asian regional groupings such as ASEAN, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). High-level diplomatic visits between India and the countries associated with these groupings have become increasingly common the last decade.   During his state visit to Myanmar in 2012, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced many new bilateral initiatives and signed around a dozen MOUs, in addition to extending a line of credit for $500 million. Since then, Indian companies have made significant economic and trade agreements in infrastructure and other areas. Some of the major projects taken up by India include the resurfacing and upgrading of the 160-kilometer Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo road and the Kaladan project that will connect Kolkata Port with Sittwe Port in Myanmar (which is still in progress). A bus service from Imphal, India, to Mandalay, Myanmar, is expected to launch in October 2014. Once these infrastructure projects are completed, the next step will be connecting the India-Myanmar highway network to the existing portions of the Asian Highway Network, which will connect India to Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Strong Quotes to Discover Your Inner Strength

Strong Quotes to Discover Your Inner Strength Everyone deals with low self-esteem or a lack of self-confidence from time to time. Its not easy to face hardships with a smile, nor should you try to; unresolved stress or anxiety can manifest itself in many negative ways (including physical illness).   But sometimes we just need a little nudge to try to get out of a rut or to keep going on a path that seems long and arduous. Hope can help us emerge from difficult situations feeling stronger and wiser.   Here are some quotes about finding that inner strength, from people who have faced hardship, to inspire you to keep going.   Inner Strength Quotes from Politicians Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.Too often the strong, silent man is silent only because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong only because he has remained silent. -    Winston Churchill.  The legendary British Prime Minister, who was shot at during the Boer War and guided his country through World War II, was never at a loss for words.   A woman is like a tea bag - you cant tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt.  Although Roosevelt changed forever the office of First Lady, acting as an advocate for women, minorities, and the poor, she had much hardship in her life, including being orphaned at age 10.   The strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind. -   Napoleon Bonaparte Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. -   John F. Kennedy It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -   Frederick Douglass You are never strong enough that you dont need help. -   Cesar Chavez Inner Strength Quotes from Writers Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think. -    Ralph Waldo Emerson. He rose to become one of the elder statesmen of literary circles in early America, but Emerson suffered both the loss of his wife not long after their wedding  and the early loss of his father, both of which affected him profoundly.   The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places. -   Ernest Hemingway. Although he was a highly influential journalist and novelist, Hemingway struggled with alcoholism and depression his entire life.   Nothing can dim the light which shines from within. ― Maya Angelou. The author had a difficult childhood which included being raped by her mothers boyfriend, but she went on to win numerous critical accolades and awards for her writing.   Inner Strength Quotes from Philosophers To keep the body in good health is a duty,   otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. ―Buddha That which does not kill us makes us stronger. ―Friedrich Nietzsche Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look. ― Marcus Aurelius