India's Approach to West Asia

Despite the passage of a decade since the outbreak of popular Arab unrest, the consequences of the regional upheaval continue to have a lingering effect on the politics, security and economy of the region. [...] 1 Middle East – Central Asia – South Asia Triangle and the New Spice Route in the Changing Geopolitics of West Asia Mehmet Seyfettin Erol Introduction In the context of international politics, the geographical definition of different regions of the world is determined by the geographical location, interests and objectives of the regional States. [...] Russia in the north 4 India’s Approach to West Asia of the region, China in the east and the European Union (EU) in the west are aware that the economic potential of the region, especially energy and trade lines, will play a vital role in the control of the international system. [...] Moreover, it can be said that the recent winds of peace within the scope of the normalisation process in the Caucasus and the brave steps taken to solve the problems will offer a long-term security architecture rather than the thought that the middle line has gained conjuncture importance. [...] Although the apparent aim of the US, which came to the region in 2001, was to overthrow the Taliban as part of its war on terror after the September 11 attacks, Washington wanted to settle in the centre of Eurasia geopolitically and to prevent Asian countries that could compete with it, by controlling the flow of energy and trade.