“Exploring India's conflicting dynamic with her

neighbours”

Introduction:

India, a magnificent country with a culture as diversified as her population, has always

maintained intricate diplomatic ties with her surrounding nations. While conflicts and disputes

have tainted certain relationships with her neighbours, cooperation and mutual gain have defined

others. In this essay, we aim to examine the variables that lead to India's tense ties with some of

her neighbours, providing a few instances to clarify the complex dynamics at work.

Historical Legacy:

Examining India's historical legacies is essential to understanding how her relationships with her

neighbours are going nowadays. When British India was divided in 1947, the two new entities

that were born had a major antagonistic bond, which persists till today. This bond only worsened

with time, recently due to the border dispute in Kashmir, which has increased the hostilities

between the two nations.

China, another crucial neighbour of India, has quite some longstanding grudges against her. The

Sino-Indian War of 1962, which was rooted in the territory disputes of the Himalayas, ended up

affecting the bilateral ties of the two countries permanently. The relationship between these two

Asian superpowers is still on a bumpy road due to the unresolved boundary disputes, especially

in the Aksai Chin region.

Examples of Strained Relations:

India-Pakistan Relations:

Primarily geographical disputes, ideological disagreements, and a protracted history of violence,

which have their roots in historical tension, have characterised the ties between India and

Pakistan. The Kashmir area, upon which the two nations embarked on numerous wars, is the

primary source of this tension. The animosity between them was further heightened in 1999 by

the Kargil conflict, which still continues to be a significant cause of friction between them.

Another factor that has consistently strained the ties between the two countries has been

terrorism. India has suspectes Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorist organisations that carry

out attacks on its territory multiple times. Both the 2008 Mumbai assaults and the 2001 terrorist

attack on the Indian Parliament exacerbated tensions and attracted much attention from around

the world.

As a means to establish peaceful relations between the countries, several attempts at launching

diplomatic initiatives, such as peace negotiations have been taken. But these acts have been

thwarted by setbacks of their own. Any chance at long-term communication has been hampered

by domestic political turmoil and an overall absence of trust among the two countries.

Worries about the possibility of a nuclear arms race have further complicated the dynamic

between them. The underlying problems in the India-Pakistan relationship persist to such extent,

that even during sporadic times of relative peace, their geopolitical harmony stays unstable.
India-China Relations:

The rapport of India and China is built on a complex combination of collaboration, competition,

and sporadic conflicts. As two of the world's most inhabited nations and rising global powers,

both nations have a shared interest in regional security and economic growth. However, there

have been sporadic military standoffs due to border disputes, especially along the Line of Actual

Control (LAC), particularly in Doklam in 2017 and Ladakh in 2020.

Over time, this bond has improved dramatically owing to the increased economic exchanges, as

investment and trade are vital to this partnership. However, strategic mistrust is still enduring and

affecting diplomatic ties. To manage their differences, both countries communicate with one

another through forums such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

India-Nepal Relations:

India's relationship with Nepal can be described as a mix of periods of conflict and collaboration.

Territorial conflicts have been a rather significant source of friction between them, especially in

the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh region. Due to India's 2019 publication of newly drawn

political maps that included these areas, the bilateral ties between these nations took a major

blow. Nevertheless, the two nations have strong cultural, historical, and economic ties, and

initiatives have been taken to resolve their disagreements through much discussion and

compromise.

India-Bangladesh Relations:

Bangladesh and India have shared a complicated past as a consequence of both the countries

being an integral part of British India up until 1947. Although their relationship was problematic,
when Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971, thanks to India's backing, it took

a turn for the better. Since then, both nations have given effort to strengthen their diplomatic

relations, emphasising on trade, people-to-people exchanges, and economic collaboration.

However, disagreements have surfaced nonetheless across several subject matters. A concurrent

cause of worry have been the border issues, especially due to the settlements and unfair control

of land. Another sensitive topic has been river water sharing, particularly on the Teesta River,

with disputes over which have been affecting both the countries.

Furthermore, migration has been a rather contentious subject, which has occasionally caused

tensions due to worries from India regarding illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Their

relationship now has a security component added because both the nations have occasionally

accused one another of supporting rebels and enabling their respective territories to be utilized

for anti-state operations.

Despite these hindrances, India and Bangladesh have held frequent high-level talks to discuss

unsettled disputes. With programmes such as the Indian Line of Credit to Bangladesh, trade

relations between the nations have become more robust, enabling interconnectivity and the

development of infrastructure.

Factors Contributing to Strained Relations:

 Territorial Disputes:
Territorial conflicts are a continuing issue in India's relationship with its neighbours.
Peaceful ties are significantly hampered by the boundary dispute, frequently fueled by
ancestral claims and nationalist feelings. The recurrent nature of these confrontations
keeps the citizens and governments anxious and mistrustful, hindering solid diplomatic
relations.
  Historical Baggage:
Historical occurrences like the division of British India and previous wars have a lasting
impact on ties to this today. The partition gave rise to the Kashmir dispute, which serves
as an example of how historical occurrences continue to influence today's geopolitical
environment and create a deep-rooted animosity between neighbouring countries.

 Security Concerns:
Acts like territorial intrusions, revolts and terrorists acts only heighten the security
concerns between nations and worsen the diplomatic relation. This feeling of unsafety
causes border militarization and arms races with bordering nations, which ends up taking
away resources from socio-economic development.

 Economic Competition:
Disputes can arise from economic competition for markets, resources, and influence in
the area. Geopolitical rivalries are frequently the result of such unhealthy competition .
India's tendency to participate in these rivalries in a headstrong manner has often caused
her neighbours to feel unsure about their fair share of resources and opportunities.

 Divergent Strategic Alignments:

Changing alliances and strategic affiliations have shaped the geopolitical environment of
today's world. Conflicts could arise if nearby nations side with superpowers and/or
initiate policies that disagree with India. External factors can aggravate the already
existing conflicts and obstruct the truce that benefits both parties.

Conclusion:

India's relationships with her neighbours are intricate and varied, influenced by competing

economic interests, historical legacies, territorial conflicts, security issues, and differing political

alignments. Certain relationships have persevered through these difficulties and developed

constructively, but others are still entangled in old grievances and resentment. Diplomatic

initiatives must address past grievances, settle territorial issues, and establish confidence via
open communication to promote collaboration and increase regional stability. Ultimately, India's

regional leadership ambitions and socioeconomic growth depend on a cooperative and peaceful

neighbourhood.

References:

1. Ganguly, S. "Conflict Unending: India-Pakistan Tensions since 1947." Columbia

University Press, 2002.

2. Raghavan, S. "The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia."

Vintage, 2010.

3. India-China dispute: The border row explained in 400 words. (2022, December 13). BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53062484

4. Interpreting the India-Nepal border dispute | Brookings. (2020, June 11). Brookings

Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/interpreting-the-india-nepal-border-dispute/

5. Rahman, Z. (2023, December 14). Bangladesh-India bilateral relations | Bangladesh-India

relations a complicated friendship. The Daily Star.

https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/geopolitical-insights/news/bangladesh-india-relations-

increasingly-complicated-friendship-3492346

6. Tuli, J. K. (2022, January 2). India, neighbors and missed opportunities. The Times of India.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/world-india-politics/india-neighbors-and-missed-

opportunities/
7. Disputed Territories of India. (n.d.). Drishti IAS.

https://www.drishtiias.com/pdf/disputed-territories-of-india.pdf