West Asia and the Region
Defining India's Role
Rajendra Madhukar Abhyankar (Ed.)
Defining India's Role
About the Book
India and West Asia represent a confluence of civilisations which is a paradigm for our times. Over the millennia, the religious, ethnic, political, commercial, cultural, literary and linguistic ties that bind the peoples of the two regions have endured. Today these ties are marked by a mutuality of interest and benefit with India's emergence as a global player. Never has the need for maintaining security, peace and prosperity in our region been greater with the retrograde developments witnessed in recent years. The conjunction of these events has inevitably led to calls for India to play a helpful role in the search for solutions to the festering conflicts in the region. This compendium explores the possibilities, challenges and parameters of such an engagement. While the jury is still out, the papers presented here highlight its multi-dimensional character.
About the Author(s) / Editor(s)
Rajendra Madhukar Abhyankar is Director, Centre for West Asian Studies at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Ambassador Abhyankar retired from the Indian Diplomatic Service after more than 36 years of multi-faceted diplomatic experience of people, places and issues. He has been Ambassador to Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union and High Commissioner to Cyprus and Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
He was responsible for fashioning India's policy on Palestine-Israel issue; and on developing India's relations with Israel and formulated and supervised
Contributors
Rajendra M. Abhyankar, Director, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Former diplomat
Qamar Agha, an independent journalist and Visiting Professor, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
M.S. Agwani, former Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Anwar Alam, Professor, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mujib Alam, Lecturer, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mukhtar Alam, Post-doctoral Fellow, Centre for Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
B. Sheikh Ali, former Vice Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities.
Hamid Ansari, first Coordinator of the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; former diplomat; Chairman, National Minorities
Commission; now Hon’ble Vice President of India
Mehtab Alam Ansari, Lecturer in the Department of Library & Information Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Rafiullah Azmi, Research Associate at the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mirza Nehal Ahmed Baig, Assistant Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.
Noor Ahmad Baba, Professor and Head in the Department of Political Science, Kashmir University, Srinagar.
Purushottam Bhattacharya, Professor of International Relations and Director, School of International Relations & Strategic Studies, Jadavpur University,
Kolkata.
Sujata Ashwarya Cheema, Lectuer, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Gulshan Dietl, Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Mohammad Gulrez, Professor of West Asian Studies, Centre for West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Ranjit Gupta, Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. Formerly Visiting Professor at the Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia
Millia Islamia, New Delhi and former diplomat.
Shamir Hasan, Professor of West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Sameena Hameed, Ph.D Scholar, Centre for Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Jawaid Iqbal, Reader, Centre for West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Prakash C. Jain, Associate Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi.
Ajish P. Joy, Researcher, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
Javed Ahmad Khan, Reader, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Pranav Kumar, Senior Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fellow.
Arshi Khan, Reader, Department of Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Aswini K. Mohapatra, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
El Sayed Mekkawi, Senior Research Scholar, CWAAS, SIS, JNU and Lecturer, History Department, Menoufia University, Egypt.
Jamal M. Moosa, Reader, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Javeed Nadeem Nadwi, Researcher, West Asia Cluster, Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
Nasim Akhtar Nadwi, Department of Arabic, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
H.A. Nazmi, Lecturer, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Girijesh Pant, Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
A.K. Pasha, Professor, Gulf Studies and former Chairperson, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi.
A.C. Patankar, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry, Mumbai.
Bansidhar Pradhan, Associate Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi.
Anisur Rahman, Reader, Academic Staff College, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Sumanti Shivakumar, Reader, Stella Maris College, Chennai.
Rushda Siddiqui, Researcher, Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
Contents in Detail
Setting the Theme West Asia and the Region:
Defining India’s Role
Introduction
— Rajendra M. Abhyankar
West Asia: The Imperative to Comprehend the Direction of Change
— Hamid Ansari
The Larger Picture: Political
Imagining West Asia Beyond the Neocon Construct: Defining an Indian Perspective
— Girijesh Pant
India’s Palestine Policy: A Historical Review
— Shamir Hasan
India and Israel’s Counter-terrorism Policy
— Rushda Siddiqui
The Larger Picture: Energy and Economic
An Overview of India’s Trade and Economic Relations with Gulf and Wana Countries
— A.C. Patankar
India’s Economic Diplomacy in the Gulf
— Qamar Agha
India’s Search for Energy Security and Role of the Gulf
— Rafiullah Azmi
Indian Diaspora in West Asia
— Prakash C. Jain
Indian Manpower in the Gulf: Strategic and Economic Dimensions
— Anisur Rahman
The Larger Picture: Culture
Indian Impact on Islamic Culture
— B. Sheik Ali
OIC: An Examination of its Policies and Implications for India
— Anwar Alam
Role of Great Powers in the Region
China and West Asia
— Ranjit Gupta
Russia’s Emerging Policy in West Asia
— Ajish P. Joy
Iran, SCO and the Grand Chessboard
— Gulshan Dietl
Iraq
Difficult Road Ahead in Iraq: Post War Challenges and Remedies
— Mehtab Alam Ansari
Rise of Islamists after the US Invasion of Iraq–2003
— H.A. Nazmi
Democratising Iraq through Military Intervention
— Bansidhar Pradhan
Turkey
Turkey’s Democracy as a Model for the Arab World
— Aswini K. Mohapatra
In Pursuit of a European Identity: Turkey and the European Union
— Purushottam Bhattacharya
The Recent Democratic Reforms in Turkey: Implications for the Military’s Role in Politics and Society
— Mujib Alam
Lebanon
Democracy in a Plural Society: The Lebanese Experience
— Jawaid Iqbal
West Asia Peace Process: Israel and its Neighbours 23. Track Two Diplomacy in West Asia: The Oslo Peace Process Revisited
— Mohammad Gulrez
Israeli Wall in the West Bank: Politics and Legality
— Arshi Khan
Hamas and Politics in Palestine: Impact on Peace-building
— Sujata Ashwarya Cheema
India’s Bilateral Relations
Indo-Egyptian Relations: A Reassessment
— El Sayed Mekkawi
India and the Horn of Africa: Current Dynamics and Future Relations
— Jamal M. Moosa
Indo-Kuwait Relations after Independence
— Mirza N.A. Baig
India and Iran: Geopolitical and Geostrategic Partners
— Mukhtar Alam
Price Risk Management in Petroleum Exporting and Importing Asian Countries: A Comparative Study of India and Iran
— Sameena Hameed
Democratisation in the GCC States and India
— A.K. Pasha
Emerging Investment Climate in the Arab Gulf: The Scope for India
— Javed Ahmad Khan
Oil Geopolitics in the Persian Gulf and India’s Energy Security
— Pranav Kumar
Gulf Security and the Role of Saudi Arabia
— Javed Nadeem Nadvi
Cultural Dimension
OIC and Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: Its Indian Dimension
— Noor Ahmad Baba
Studies in West Asian Literature: Can they be Crucial in Defining India’s Role?
— Sumathi Shivakumar
India’s Contribution to Arab Culture and Thought: Role of Ali Mian
— Nasim Akhtar Nadwi
Afterword
Looking Back and Forth: India and West Asia
— M.S. Agwani
| Publisher | AF Press |
| Publication Date | 2008 |
| Number of Pages | 748 |
| ISBN |
9788171886166 |
Academic Foundation (AF), based in New Delhi, is India’s leading independent publisher of academic/scholarly books in Social Sciences, specialising in Economics—Development Economics and Indian Economy in particular, and allied subjects.
About the Book
India and West Asia represent a confluence of civilisations which is a paradigm for our times. Over the millennia, the religious, ethnic, political, commercial, cultural, literary and linguistic ties that bind the peoples of the two regions have endured. Today these ties are marked by a mutuality of interest and benefit with India's emergence as a global player. Never has the need for maintaining security, peace and prosperity in our region been greater with the retrograde developments witnessed in recent years. The conjunction of these events has inevitably led to calls for India to play a helpful role in the search for solutions to the festering conflicts in the region. This compendium explores the possibilities, challenges and parameters of such an engagement. While the jury is still out, the papers presented here highlight its multi-dimensional character.
About the Author(s) / Editor(s)
Rajendra Madhukar Abhyankar is Director, Centre for West Asian Studies at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Ambassador Abhyankar retired from the Indian Diplomatic Service after more than 36 years of multi-faceted diplomatic experience of people, places and issues. He has been Ambassador to Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union and High Commissioner to Cyprus and Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
He was responsible for fashioning India's policy on Palestine-Israel issue; and on developing India's relations with Israel and formulated and supervised
Contributors
Rajendra M. Abhyankar, Director, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Former diplomat
Qamar Agha, an independent journalist and Visiting Professor, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
M.S. Agwani, former Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Anwar Alam, Professor, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mujib Alam, Lecturer, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mukhtar Alam, Post-doctoral Fellow, Centre for Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
B. Sheikh Ali, former Vice Chancellor of Mangalore and Goa Universities.
Hamid Ansari, first Coordinator of the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; former diplomat; Chairman, National Minorities
Commission; now Hon’ble Vice President of India
Mehtab Alam Ansari, Lecturer in the Department of Library & Information Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Rafiullah Azmi, Research Associate at the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Mirza Nehal Ahmed Baig, Assistant Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.
Noor Ahmad Baba, Professor and Head in the Department of Political Science, Kashmir University, Srinagar.
Purushottam Bhattacharya, Professor of International Relations and Director, School of International Relations & Strategic Studies, Jadavpur University,
Kolkata.
Sujata Ashwarya Cheema, Lectuer, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Gulshan Dietl, Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Mohammad Gulrez, Professor of West Asian Studies, Centre for West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Ranjit Gupta, Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. Formerly Visiting Professor at the Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia
Millia Islamia, New Delhi and former diplomat.
Shamir Hasan, Professor of West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Sameena Hameed, Ph.D Scholar, Centre for Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Jawaid Iqbal, Reader, Centre for West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Prakash C. Jain, Associate Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi.
Ajish P. Joy, Researcher, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
Javed Ahmad Khan, Reader, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Pranav Kumar, Senior Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fellow.
Arshi Khan, Reader, Department of Political Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Aswini K. Mohapatra, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
El Sayed Mekkawi, Senior Research Scholar, CWAAS, SIS, JNU and Lecturer, History Department, Menoufia University, Egypt.
Jamal M. Moosa, Reader, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Javeed Nadeem Nadwi, Researcher, West Asia Cluster, Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
Nasim Akhtar Nadwi, Department of Arabic, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
H.A. Nazmi, Lecturer, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Girijesh Pant, Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
A.K. Pasha, Professor, Gulf Studies and former Chairperson, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi.
A.C. Patankar, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry, Mumbai.
Bansidhar Pradhan, Associate Professor, Centre for West Asian and African Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi.
Anisur Rahman, Reader, Academic Staff College, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Sumanti Shivakumar, Reader, Stella Maris College, Chennai.
Rushda Siddiqui, Researcher, Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
Contents in Detail
Setting the Theme West Asia and the Region:
Defining India’s Role
Introduction
— Rajendra M. Abhyankar
West Asia: The Imperative to Comprehend the Direction of Change
— Hamid Ansari
The Larger Picture: Political
Imagining West Asia Beyond the Neocon Construct: Defining an Indian Perspective
— Girijesh Pant
India’s Palestine Policy: A Historical Review
— Shamir Hasan
India and Israel’s Counter-terrorism Policy
— Rushda Siddiqui
The Larger Picture: Energy and Economic
An Overview of India’s Trade and Economic Relations with Gulf and Wana Countries
— A.C. Patankar
India’s Economic Diplomacy in the Gulf
— Qamar Agha
India’s Search for Energy Security and Role of the Gulf
— Rafiullah Azmi
Indian Diaspora in West Asia
— Prakash C. Jain
Indian Manpower in the Gulf: Strategic and Economic Dimensions
— Anisur Rahman
The Larger Picture: Culture
Indian Impact on Islamic Culture
— B. Sheik Ali
OIC: An Examination of its Policies and Implications for India
— Anwar Alam
Role of Great Powers in the Region
China and West Asia
— Ranjit Gupta
Russia’s Emerging Policy in West Asia
— Ajish P. Joy
Iran, SCO and the Grand Chessboard
— Gulshan Dietl
Iraq
Difficult Road Ahead in Iraq: Post War Challenges and Remedies
— Mehtab Alam Ansari
Rise of Islamists after the US Invasion of Iraq–2003
— H.A. Nazmi
Democratising Iraq through Military Intervention
— Bansidhar Pradhan
Turkey
Turkey’s Democracy as a Model for the Arab World
— Aswini K. Mohapatra
In Pursuit of a European Identity: Turkey and the European Union
— Purushottam Bhattacharya
The Recent Democratic Reforms in Turkey: Implications for the Military’s Role in Politics and Society
— Mujib Alam
Lebanon
Democracy in a Plural Society: The Lebanese Experience
— Jawaid Iqbal
West Asia Peace Process: Israel and its Neighbours 23. Track Two Diplomacy in West Asia: The Oslo Peace Process Revisited
— Mohammad Gulrez
Israeli Wall in the West Bank: Politics and Legality
— Arshi Khan
Hamas and Politics in Palestine: Impact on Peace-building
— Sujata Ashwarya Cheema
India’s Bilateral Relations
Indo-Egyptian Relations: A Reassessment
— El Sayed Mekkawi
India and the Horn of Africa: Current Dynamics and Future Relations
— Jamal M. Moosa
Indo-Kuwait Relations after Independence
— Mirza N.A. Baig
India and Iran: Geopolitical and Geostrategic Partners
— Mukhtar Alam
Price Risk Management in Petroleum Exporting and Importing Asian Countries: A Comparative Study of India and Iran
— Sameena Hameed
Democratisation in the GCC States and India
— A.K. Pasha
Emerging Investment Climate in the Arab Gulf: The Scope for India
— Javed Ahmad Khan
Oil Geopolitics in the Persian Gulf and India’s Energy Security
— Pranav Kumar
Gulf Security and the Role of Saudi Arabia
— Javed Nadeem Nadvi
Cultural Dimension
OIC and Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: Its Indian Dimension
— Noor Ahmad Baba
Studies in West Asian Literature: Can they be Crucial in Defining India’s Role?
— Sumathi Shivakumar
India’s Contribution to Arab Culture and Thought: Role of Ali Mian
— Nasim Akhtar Nadwi
Afterword
Looking Back and Forth: India and West Asia
— M.S. Agwani
| Publisher | AF Press |
| Publication Date | 2008 |
| Number of Pages | 748 |
| ISBN |
9788171886166 |
Couldn't load pickup availability
Share

Book Launch Event
-
Curated Collections By AF Press
-
Premium Print Quality
-
Author-Centric Publishing
-
Trusted by Readers Nationwide
West Asia and the Region