India-GCC Relations: Delhi's Strategic Opportunity

Abstract

This paper investigates India’s strategic relations with the members of the GCC: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman. It argues that India-GCC ties will be among the most important relationships for both sides in the coming decades, and that the emergence of several factors is forcing New Delhi to consider the strategic aspects of those ties. The paper analyzes these factors, especially India’s desire to accelerate its rise as a global power; India’s expanding aspirations in the Middle East; instability in the wider Middle East; increasing multipolarity in the Middle East; and growing interest among GCC states to reach out to new partners.