
IMEC and India’s Middle East Doctrine
From Beyond the Indus by The Diplomat
November 19, 2025 · 1h 27m · Episode 31
About this episode
The episode discusses India's evolving strategy in the Middle East, focusing on energy, security, and infrastructure initiatives.
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad and John Calabrese from the Middle East Institute join host Tushar Shetty to examine India's evolving strategy in the Middle East. We discuss the region's critical importance to India as a source of energy and trade, India's expanding security presence from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Afghanistan, and the country's ambitious infrastructure initiatives including the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). The conversation also explores how India is responding to growing Chinese economic influence and the emerging Saudi Arabia-Pakistan alliance, and whether IMEC can realistically compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative as a transformative regional project. For more in-depth analysis on South Asia, subscribe to the Beyond the Indus podcast.
People in this episode
Host: Tushar Shetty
Guests: Talmiz Ahmad, John Calabrese
Topics covered
- India's Middle East strategy
- energy and trade
- security presence
- infrastructure initiatives
- Chinese economic influence
- Saudi Arabia-Pakistan alliance
- regional competition
Keywords
- India
- Middle East
- IMEC
- Belt and Road Initiative
- energy
- trade
- security
- China
- Saudi Arabia
- Pakistan
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Middle East Institute, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, Belt and Road Initiative
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