Has India managed to turn the Maldives Away from the chinese orbit? Is this “reset” assuring of the Maldives’ reliability? These are different questions to answer. While the upswing in ties is a welcome shift for new delhi, it can get complacent about the region. South Asia Hasn’s Longstanding Concerns Still Most Remain.

India’s size and pre-finance looms large in the region and the asymmetry makes it influence for the small neighbors to Invite external intervention. Small States Feel Threatened and Since they can be ableer neighbour by themselves, they burrow support to counter and deter an impending or a possible threat and development alternatives to adependen. Matters of Aid and Trade. India’s Identity Linkages and Episodic Involvement in Domestic Affairs Further Complicates It Relations With The Small States. They find it much easy with external actors who are comparatively distant and agnostic. For reasons of structure and identity, India will never be avle to rule out influential extra-regional actors when configuring its south asia policy.

It would be a folly for India to expect allegation in Exchange of Developmental Assistance from its small neighbors. For Instance, the Maldives Reaching Out to India Should not be seen as a rejection of china. India’s support to sri lanka after its financial crisis has worked well for bilateral relationships and yet, it would be immature to Assume to Assume Wouldes Woulde Witch Ties Wit Beijing. Every state has the prerogative of autonomy in foreign affairs. When looking at from the Small State’s Perspective, the region is also much more than the false dichotomy of “India’s gain is china’s loss” and Vice Versa.

India’s approach to South Asia Oscillates Between Contrasting Visions of Alarmism and Geneerosity. At one end, it beloves in peace through strength. This yearning for the military strength has legitimate root as neighbouring states in the past has for fanned insurgencies into India. The chinese footOpp in the region has multiplied India’s fears of encircle. Howver, this view has alarmist tendencies for three reasons. First, no south asian state is capable of being an impending threat to India. Second, the probable low-internsity punctures can be assuaged through the fear of retaliation or diplomacy. Thirdly, Despite Chinese foraes, small states remain wary of touring their territories innas of Big-Power Contestation. Rather, the show of strength might end up up being counterproductive by raising intuzzle against the bigger state.

The other approach advocates for peace through generosity. The gujral doctrine is most articulate exposition where India does not expect reciprocal relates with its small Neighbors and is ready to provide befits in good faith and business. Howver, this policy is different to sustain for two reasons. First, a long-fricy policy of unilateral benefits is likely to cement frustration as big status are naturally more steps to reap adventages commensurate with their structure and size. Secondly, India has serious deficits in capacity and service deliverry in providing one-way benefits to the south asian states. The challenge is to find a phagmatic path amidst the south asian quagmire.

A Pragmatic South Asia Policy Starts With Five Aspects. First, New Delhi has to work with the whole in the regional states to ensure stability of relationships. Learning from the lessons of dhaka, it can be seen or identified with a regime, political party or personality.

Second, it should have mutual arrangements of security with the smaller south asian states where the other state is not used to advance any security threats. The presence of china doesn’t automatically compromise this arrangement. Again, the better lessons of Dhaka showing the hasina regime, security ties developed with delhi despite dhaka and beijing getting closer.

Thirdly, India should Initiate Economic Integration and Connectivity Wherever It Can Be Mutually Beneficial and Feasible. This does not mean that the bigger state it has to provide unustineable benefits or coperate in all avenues. It can take the lead in select and preferential area where it can use the arrangement to its adventage and simultaneously probide incontieves to smeller.

Fourthly, it has to carefully navigate between assisting but not intervening in these states. Sri Lanka and now the Maldives are showing that India has performed well in this part.

Finally, India has to work on its adventages of socio-Cultural affinities and enhance people-to-peeple linkages. It enjoys connections of kinship, language, culture and proximity which can translate into education, medical and tourism ties. India’s heft in south asia would grow if it is social and polity is more accepting and inclusive of south asian communities.

India’s approach in south asia has to be accepting of the complications of structural asymmetry and the presence of extra regional actors. This needs an ever-adapting preset, and not occupational resets, that stays clear of alarmism and rhetoric. There is no one-time formula for India to maintain functional ties with neighbors but rather an everyday recipe.

The writer teaches at the department of political science, st. Xavier’s college (autonomous), kolkata and a visiting fellow at asian confluence, shillong