Context: India maritime strategy Gulf
Amid West Asia tensions, India’s strong engagement with the Arab Gulf reflects a shift in strategic thinking, reviving the maritime-oriented Bombay School over the land-focused Ludhiana School.
Two strategic approaches
Bombay School
• Security begins at sea
• Focus on Arabian Sea–Persian Gulf, trade routes, naval power, ports
• Outward-looking, commerce-driven
Ludhiana School
• Security through land frontiers
• Focus on Afghanistan, Central Asia, buffer zones
• Driven by invasion threats from northwest
Historical shift
• Colonial period saw both approaches competing
• Post-independence India prioritised continental security due to Pakistan and China
• After 1990s reforms, maritime importance re-emerge
Why Gulf is central today
• Nearly 9 million Indians in Gulf
• Around $50 billion remittances annually
• Critical energy dependence
• Strong trade and logistics linkages
Key argument of the article
• Gulf is no longer peripheral, it is central to India’s strategic space
• India’s current policy reflects a clear tilt towards maritime priorities
Caution highlighted
• Continental threats have not disappeared
• Pakistan hostility and land borders still matter
• India must balance maritime expansion with land deterrence
