Bridging the Act East and Look West Policies

India&s;s foreign policy has undergone a significant transformation in its engagement with neighbouring States. The country&s;s foreign policy is multi-pronged, enabling it to pursue relationships with neighbours near and far. To foster relations with countries in Southeast Asia, particularly, the Look East Policy was launched in 1992. Post-2014, the strategic outlook received considerable attention, and it was rebranded as the Act East Policy. Similarly, the Look West Policy was initiated in 2005 to extend relations with the Gulf countries. India&s;s interest in West Asia is underlined by its historical connections, diaspora, standard religious practices, and energy needs. While most of Southeast Asia lies in India&s;s proximate neighbourhood, West Asia comprises both its proximate and extended neighbourhoods. Thus, policies focused on these regions are of immense significance to India&s;s political, economic, and cultural development and welfare. While they were formulated as separate vectors, these policies are interlinked by the ways they advance India&s;s geostrategy. They reflect India&s;s ambition for a seamless yet integrated engagement arc along the Indian Ocean and beyond. At the core of this unified vision lies the Indo-Pacific construct, which bridges the West and the East, enabling India to streamline maritime security efforts, enhance economic and supply chain resilience, and strengthen its diplomatic influence. India&s;s engagements in multilateral constructs such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), as well as in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), I2U2 and the League of Arab Nations, show the versatility that India holds in terms of its foreign relations. This is even more pertinent, given that India also holds membership in other organisations such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association, the Quad, BRICS, and the G20, which support India&s;s intention to integrate the region. The chapter, by examining the evolution of both policies, aims to explore their convergence and how they complement India&s;s geostrategy in the 21st century. Further, it offers policy recommendations to develop a coherent unified strategy. It argues that an integrated approach better leverages India&s;s geographical advantages, economic ambitions, and security imperatives, and enhances its engagement with a dynamic Indo-Pacific.