India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs

The article delves into three aspects: (a) India–ASEAN economic relationship since the last three decades of Look East Policy (LEP), (b) the achievements of North-east India (NEI) under LEP and Act East Policy (AEP) and (c) adding a note on AEP as a new ‘development paradigm’ in NEI. The study finds that the India–ASEAN economic relationship deepened in the post-LEP period as merchandise trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows increased manifold. However, neither LEP nor AEP made any significant impact on NEI in terms of economic growth, exports and FDI inflows. Economic growth stagnated and even decelerated in some states in NEI, while exports and FDI inflows remained abysmally low. LEP was a failed policy instrument for NEI despite many claims and assumptions. The major reason was infrastructure deficits and poor connectivity in the region for a prolonged period. AEP has emerged as a new ‘development paradigm’ with renewed thrust on infrastructure buildup and connectivity constructions. The ongoing and completed connectivity projects in rail, road, air and water, improvement in power and telecom, multimodal logistic park in Assam and improvement of trade infrastructure in NEI under AEP would attract investment from both domestic foreign sources, enhance productive capacity, increase exports and accelerate economic growth. AEP is expected to open new possibilities for trade and investments in NEI through regional economic integration with South Asian and South-east Asian economies given geographical location, ethno-cultural proximity, historical linkages and resource endowments.

This article examines the potential impact of India’s Act East Policy on the food systems of the Konyak Nagas, an indigenous community in Nagaland. The article studies how the traditional knowledge of the Konyak Nagas about the land, labour and ecology has influenced their food culture. The communal landholdings, shifting cultivation, natural preservation of food items, manual labour in agricultural lands and chemical-free fertilisation process have so far kept the Konyaks self-sufficient in terms of requirement of food, and kept the market forces at bay. Emphasising the significance of food security in the changing global scenario in the post-pandemic period and considering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the article explores how Act East Policy’s capitalistic rationalisation of resources may significantly affect their sustainable means of subsistence and appropriate their farms and platters, which are an integral element of the cultural fabric of the community.

Global warming and consequent climate change have emerged as serious issues and have started featuring on almost all multilateral forums with statements warning the global leadership to get increasingly proactive about addressing the issues. In world politics, countries are viewing climate change as an issue to gain influence in international politics. India is no exception to this rule and has been shaping its role as a rule-shaper and policy advocate and is an active participant in climate change negotiations. This article traces India’s role since the talks on climate change began as part of wider environmental concerns. It also enumerates the way global leadership viewed and addressed this pressing issue from time to time. The article provides a brief but critical account of India’s policy interventions at global and national levels to appraise India’s growing role and relevance.

Climate change and environmental degradation are the two most pressing concerns faced by the world today for which regional cooperation is necessary. For regional cooperation, governments at the regional level must work together to coordinate activities, unify regulations and create risk-reduction plans. In South-east Asia, multiple initiatives have been taken for a shared framework for carrying out coordinated policy implementation. However, political and technical barriers have stymied efforts to suit the needs and benefits of partnering states. This article will analyse these problems and approaches in a few chosen South-east Asian nations and examine comprehensive action plans built on cooperative partnerships. It will offer a critical assessment of the environmental and climate-related issues South-east Asia faces and also offer recommendations on how to use policy tools to regulate and solve issues of regional environmental governance. It also looks at ways to counteract institutional and regulatory obstacles to reaching desired outcomes emphasising regulatory frameworks and policy.

The growing interdependence among nations, the advancement of science and technology and the impact of globalisation have made it less useful for nations to rely predominantly on hard power to pursue their foreign policies’ goals. In the contemporary era, nations have shifted their attention to soft power as an alternative policy to maximise gains from other countries. Although the exercise of hard power is still relevant in international relations, soft power has become a less destructive option. For instance, sports has proved its power as a tool of diplomacy at different times. In India, cricket has moved from its status as a mere sport to a powerful instrument of diplomacy. In this article, the authors analyse the value of sports in general and cricket in particular as an instrument of public diplomacy, its capacity for nation branding, and the future prospects of cricket in pursuing India’s foreign policy goals.

The paper is an overall assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan that includes both traditional and non-traditional aspects. The paper highlights the deteriorating internal security that is bolstering Pashtunisation in Afghanistan and causing the forced displacement of non-Pashtuns. The implication of this grim development in India’s neighbourhood has severely impacted the peace and security of the Central Asian Region, Russia, China, Iran, India and Pakistan. The victory of the Taliban has resuscitated myriad terrorist groups who want to establish Islamic Caliphate in neighbouring countries, therefore leading to the gradual Talibanisation of the Asian region. The paper also delves into how the departure of foreign forces has created a power vacuum in Afghanistan that has led to the revival of a New Great Game with the addition of regional actors.

Nivedita Ray and Sankalp Gurjar (Eds.), India and Africa Looking Ahead: Contemporary Realities and Emerging Prospects (Macmillan, 2023), 200 pp., ₹1430 (Hardcover), ISBN-10: 9356660255.

Michael O. Slobodchikoff and Aakriti A. Tandon, India as a Kingmaker: Status Quo or Revisionist Power (Ann Abor: University of Michigan Press, 2022), XIV+164 pp. $29.95, ISBN: 978-0-472-05566-1 (Paperback).

Erich Schwartzel, Red Carpet: Hollywood, China and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy (New York: Penguin Press, 2022), pp. 400, ₹1350 (Hardcover), ISBN-13: 978-1984878991.