IMEC and India’s Middle East Doctrine

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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