Soft Power Amidst a Crisis: Return Migration and India’s Soft Power in the Persian Gulf

This chapter explores the impact of recent Indian returnees from the Persian Gulf on the relationship between the nation-states. COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent job losses have caused returns of millions of Indians living and working in the Persian Gulf. In addition, with an increased focus on hiring locals and decreasing demand for “low-skilled” expat labor, return migration to India (and the greater subcontinent) from the Gulf region is more likely in the years to come. Given that migration and remittances are a binding force for relationships between India and countries in the Gulf region, this chapter argues that with the decrease in the remittances due to the increasing returnees, fissures in the relationship between the concerned countries would increase. This chapter is based on a media analysis and policy discourse analysis of policy documents/announcements and media reports of select outlets from India, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.