F. N. YURLOV
Doctor of Historical Sciences
Keywords: India, revolutions in the Arab world, Libya, BRICS
After gaining independence in 1947. India has taken a course of cooperation with countries seeking liberation from colonialism. The establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement (1961), founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamal A. Nasser, Kwame Nkrumah, Sukarno and Josip B. Tito, also served this purpose. Even earlier, in 1956, India came out in support of Egypt during the Suez crisis.1 Subsequently, India has repeatedly expressed its support for the rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent State.2
Of considerable importance in determining India's position in relation to the Arab countries as the backbone of the Muslim world is the fact that Muslims make up a significant part of the population in India itself and play a significant role in domestic political processes. In addition, the largest Indian diaspora lives in the oil-rich countries of the Arab East. The chronic shortage of energy raw materials is the most acute problem of the growing Indian economy. Hence the special interest in these countries.
Events in the Arab world (Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Syria) in January-May 2011 raised a number of questions for New Delhi related to their assessment, prospects for political and economic development in this important region, and energy security issues.
India has taken a wait-and-see approach to these developments.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament on March 18, 2011 that his "country faces huge challenges. The Middle East, West Asia and North Africa are on fire. 6 million of our citizens are in these countries. We need to think about their future. 75% of all oil supplies to India come from the Middle East. If the conflict in the region reaches a critical point, it will create a serious problem for our energy security."3. Singh set out to develop a realistic approach for Delhi to the events unfolding in the Arab countries.
So D ...
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