Retrospecting India’s Look East Policy to Act East Policy

Abstract

Prime Minister Narasimha Rao announced India's Look East strategy in 1992. The Look East policy was first conceptualized with reference to South East Asia, even though a significant portion of Asia, all of Australia, and the Pacific islands are located to the east. It began when India joined ASEAN, the Association of South East Asia Nations, as a sectoral dialogue partner. Later, East Asia and Oceania were added to the policy. Hastily classifying the policy as either excellent or negative would be a bad idea. A more pertinent question would center on our ability to optimize the policy's positive impacts while reducing its negative ones. Unquestionably, the Look East policy has a lot of potential, but only those who are ready can make use of it. The service industry is set to emerge as the most promising sector following the implementation of the Look East policy. During a 2011 visit to India, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underlined the importance of India's increased involvement in the Asia-Pacific area. Rather than only "looking east," she urged India to "act east." In 2014, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that India was now prepared to "Act East" after the slogan gained popularity.  In Naypyidaw in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated this call to action. The study looks at the Look East Policy's beginnings in the early 1990s, emphasising India's first emphasis on Southeast Asia. It looks at the historical framework that Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and succeeding governments established to strengthen India's relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. The article also examines the 2014 shift to the Act East Policy, which was spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the policy's rebranding to emphasise proactive engagement with ASEAN. The Act East Policy's major objectives and achievements are evaluated in this paper. Additionally, the research piece examines how well the strategy addresses India's strategic goals to advance regional development and stability. India's shift from the Look East Policy to the Act East Policy is thoroughly evaluated in this research paper.