India's strategic southern horizon

Sri Lanka and the Maldives occupy a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

A stable neighbourhood is crucial for any country’s security and economic development. The significance of a good neighbourhood is highlighted by Waldo Tobler’s first law of geography: “Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.” Similarly, the Greek poet Hesiod noted, “A bad neighbour is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a great blessing.” This holds particularly true for India and its neighbourhood on every parameter. India’s southern neighbourhood, consisting of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, occupies a special place in its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

India’s southern neighbourhood, especially the Indian Ocean region, has witnessed a transformation in the past two decades. The “centre of gravity” of global politics has shifted from the Atlantic and Pacific to the Indian Ocean due to its economic and strategic importance. The emergence of the 'Indo-Pacific' as a new geopolitical concept has propelled India’s southern neighbourhood to new significance. The rise of China as a regional and global power has further impacted the Indian Ocean region.

There are four broad concerns that affect India’s national interests regarding its southern neighbourhood. The first is the strategic concern. Stability in its neighbourhood is closely linked to India’s security and development. New Delhi is sensitive to the involvement of any extra-regional powers that are inimical to Indian interests in the region.

The second concern is over non-traditional security threats such as piracy, armed robberies at sea, violent radicalisation, militancy, arms and drug trafficking, illegal migration, human trafficking, and so on, that plague the region. The third concern is the economic crises that have hit Sri Lanka in 2022 and now, the Maldives.

The fourth concern pertains to certain domestic issues in the southern neighbourhood and their wider implications. In Sri Lanka, the worry is the ethnic issue and Islamic radicalisation in the larger context of Sinhala majoritarianism. In the Maldives, the polity is threatened by Islamic radicalisation, political squabbles and economic crisis.

India’s approach

India has been addressing these geopolitical and security concerns at two broad levels: bilateral and multilateral. At the bilateral level, strategic cooperation between India and the Maldives includes several components: training, infrastructure, dialogue, information sharing and joint exercises. Interestingly, to consolidate all aspects of this cooperation, a comprehensive Action Plan for Defence was signed between the two countries in April 2016.

With Sri Lanka, the scope of security cooperation is similar to that with the Maldives: defence dialogues, assistance in training and capacity-building, joint exercises and the supply of arms and equipment.

At the multilateral level, India’s approach has been both specific and broad in handling the southern neighbourhood. The rationale behind this approach is based on the need for cooperation among the three countries on issues such as maritime domain awareness, sharing data on shipping, training, search and rescue, response to oil pollution, piracy and illegal maritime activities.

Despite misperceptions, India has reiterated time and again that there is no sense of possessiveness as far as the Indian Ocean is concerned. At the same time, it is important to distinguish between extra-regional players who engage with good intentions and those who do not. India’s approach towards its southern neighbourhood must be attuned accordingly.

It is good to note that in the present context, there is a complementarity between India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the 'India First' policies of the Maldives and Sri Lanka. What is more important is that security ties between India and its southern neighbourhood cannot be looked at in a segmented manner. As the improvement in security ties is directly proportional to the improvement in other sectors, it is imperative to address other areas of relations such as politics, culture, economics and people-to-people connections as well.

India should note that since the countries in its southern neighbourhood are democracies, it is important to reach out to the people. Winning the hearts and minds of the common man in the neighbourhood is crucial so that they don't elect anti-India regimes. In this regard, India may consider incorporating human security more seriously into its overall security strategy. The people of these countries need India's help more than their governments do. Similarly, the West should handle the Maldives and Sri Lanka in a calibrated manner rather than viewing things in black and white.

India is quick to reach out to its neighbours in times of need, whether it be a coup attempt, insurrection, natural or man-made disasters, or even economic crises. This is a natural geographical advantage that India has vis-à-vis its southern neighbourhood — good "pangs of proximity". India should not hesitate to highlight this aspect. A ‘good neighbourhood’ must be demonstrated rather than assumed.

(The writers are with the Centre for East Asian Studies, Christ University, Bengaluru)