Strategic Balancing: India’s Political Engagement in the Middle East Amidst Global Power Shifts

This chapter examines India’s evolving political engagement in the Middle East against the backdrop of shifting global power dynamics and regional realignments. Historically anchored in energy security, trade, and diaspora linkages, India’s Middle East policy has undergone significant recalibration in response to the relative decline of American dominance, the growing influence of China and Russia, and the emergence of a more multipolar regional order. The chapter analyses how India has adopted a strategy of strategic balancing to navigate competing regional and extra-regional interests while preserving its long-standing commitment to strategic autonomy. The chapter discusses India’s relationships with key regional actors highlighting how New Delhi manages rivalries, ideological differences, and geopolitical pressures through pragmatic engagement and careful balancing. The chapter situates India’s policy within major regional developments such as the Abraham Accords and I2U2, assessing both the opportunities and constraints these frameworks create for India. The analysis also addresses emerging challenges, including regional instability, sectarian conflicts, transnational terrorism, energy market volatility, and intensifying great-power competition. The chapter demonstrates how India’s Middle East policy reflects a broader shift from non-alignment to issue-based, flexible engagement. Ultimately, the chapter argues that India’s nuanced and adaptive approach positions it as an increasingly consequential actor in the Middle East, with implications for regional stability and the evolving global order.