Energy, Expatriates, Security. The Hazy Contours of India’s Policy towards the Middle East

India has yet to develop a coherent policy towards the Middle East as a whole. Much of India’s foreign policy towards countries in the region continues to be bilateral, as before. For a country aspiring to be a major regional power, New Delhi appears extremely cautious about deepening contact with Middle Eastern countries beyond a narrow range of clearly defined 'interests' on an almost exclusively transactional basis. This article aims to identify the three main factors influencing India's foreign policy towards Middle Eastern countries: energy security, the welfare of Indian expatriates in the region, and the diversification of national security and defence interests. It then argues that New Delhi remains wary of engagement where India’s own interests are not at stake and that transactionalism limits the scope of Indian engagement in the region.