Rohit Kushwaha asked: How India's ‘Act East Policy’ different from its ‘Look East Policy’?

Udai Bhanu Singh replies: The Look East Policy had its beginnings in the early 1990s. It could conceivably be traced back to the Nehruvian-era too when India’s international and moral stature (with its basis in our anti-colonial and anti-racism position) served to win us the goodwill of the Southeast Asian states. It was the realities of the post-independence Cold War world and the Sino-Indian War of 1962 which prompted a realistic reappraisal and greater economic content to the relationship. In the 1990s while the ASEAN neighbours no longer doubted New Delhi’s intentions (signified in India’s inclusion in most of the ASEAN forums like ARF, Sectoral or Full Dialogue Partner and later in the East Asia Forum), they faulted its system and implementation mechanism.

Agile players like China exploited India’s weakness in the timely implementation of projects or lack of coordination among its various agencies/departments. ASEAN diplomats were often heard complaining that India must begin to “Act East”. It is this need/gap that the Narendra Modi Government seeks to fulfil. The recent high level visits in a short span of time, ranging from Myanmar to Fiji (besides, of course to India’s own Northeast), were meant to signal this shift. However, once again, it would be the action at the level of implementation which shall determine the success or failure of this policy.

Posted on December 12, 2014