International Relations

KEY POINTS

·         Bhutan has always been India’s most trusted ally in South Asia and has often put India’s security at the forefront.

·         Many years earlier, Bhutan had cooperated with India to drive out members of militant groups such as the United Liberation Front of Asom.

·         In 2017, India has stepped in to defend Bhutan’s territorial claims which had resulted in a military standoff with China at Doklam.

·         This strategic region is located close to the “chicken’s neck” or the tiny sliver of land that connects the Indian mainland to the north-eastern states.

·         Both these two episodes reflect how closely Bhutan is linked to the security of India’s north-eastern states.

·         Bhutan was also the only South Asian country besides India not to attend China’s Belt and Road Initiative forum in May 2017.

·         Indeed, considering the changing geopolitical climate in South Asia, where anti-India sentiment seems to have increased sharply in recent times, Bhutan has stood steadfast in its dedication to the big neighbour and its geopolitical concerns.

·         The development aid that India gives to Bhutan is tangible, but the strategic benefit given by Bhutan, as a buffer along the northern border cannot be put in figures.

·         But, India still has not invested in Bhutan that modicum of trust which is critical in building genuine goodwill.

·         Bhutan has undergone massive changes since it slowly began opening up after introducing democratic reforms more than a decade ago.

·         There is a growing debate within the country on the position it should adopt vis-à-vis its two powerful neighbours, India and China.

·         Also, the Doklam standoff led some in Bhutan to call for the country to adopt an independent foreign policy which is not too closely aligned with India, so that it could resolve its dragging border dispute with China.

·         As India takes steps connected to its legitimate security concerns in the region, it must ensure that it is not perceived as an overbearing presence, but one that has the best interests of the Bhutanese people at heart.

·         This means not only increasing people-to-people contact but also being sensitive to Bhutan’s desire for a wider engagement beyond India’s borders.

·         This means respecting Bhutan as an equal, sovereign nation state.

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