India's foreign policy concerning its extended neighborhood is primarily guided by the objectives of enhancement of opportunities for its citizens and providing a safe and secure environment for them. India's engagement with its extended neighborhood in West Asia, particularly the Gulf, has remained strategically important because of

1. Energy security: The region is India?s principal supplier of energy. India gets more than two-thirds of its oil and gas supplies from this region.
2. Investments: India also seeks investments from rich states like UAE for its domestic economic transformation.
3. Diaspora: There are about 7 million Indians working in west Asia and remittances from them are important for Indian states like Kerala.
4. Connectivity: Iran is geostrategically important for India in connecting with Afghanistan and central Asia.
5. Common security threats- Islamic extremism, terrorism, maritime piracy, money laundering, illegal arms trade etc.

In the past few years, India?s engagement with this region has increasingly become more intense and wide-ranging in scope and dimension. Imaginative diplomacy as well as meaningful high-level summit meetings at bilateral levels have led to India having good and growing relations with all major regional players such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, etc. This has evolved into India?s look west approach. It has three important aspects:

1. Using diaspora as strategic tool
2. Institutionalising the security, defence and anti-terror measures
3. Shaping the bilateral relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

However, the region has increasingly become unstable due to multiple fault lines on account:

• of regional competition,
• Religious and sectarian strife
• unstable regimes,
• civil wars and the rise of actors such as Islamic state.

Apart from this, India faces certain unique foreign policy challenges in West Asia such as:

• Pakistan and terrorism- Traditionally, west Asian states have supported Pakistan and have shown minimal concerns towards the threat of terrorism. A forceful counter-terrorism policy towards Pakistan requires strong Arab support.
• Shifting geopolitical balance in the region- such as relations between Iran and the US for example the recent decision of the USA to pull back from the JCPoA.
• China’s diplomatic initiatives towards the countries of West Asia.
• Israel-Palestine relations: India has undertaken a process of dehyphenation, however while relations with Israel are on the upswing the Palestinain issue remains unresolved

In contrast to „Act East?, the „Act West? policy is India?s own and our approach towards this region must be clearly articulated and pragmatic. The intensification of our engagement with the Middle East needs India to come to terms with a changing region and the opportunities it presents. Hence, India?s engagement with West Asia requires carefully navigating the internal contradictions of West Asia and balancing in order to protect its vital national interests. For this, New Delhi should pay sustained political attention and deliver on the Indian economic and security commitments made at the highest levels.