Narendra Modi and Central Asia: Reimagining India's Eurasian Strategy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53573/rhimrj.2026.v13n06.004Keywords:
Central Asia, India's foreign policy, Modi, Eurasian strategy, INSTC, Belt and Road Initiative, geopolitics, connectivityAbstract
The Central Asian region of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is a strategic crossroad area between Asia and Europe. As a prime minister in power from 2014, Narendra Modi has been more assertive and re-oriented his foreign policy in this region compared to the “episodic” approach of his predecessors. With a focus on the Connect Central Asia Policy, the India–Central Asia Summit of 2022, energy diplomacy, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), and India's attempt to address the triangular geopolitics between China, Russia, and Pakistan, the paper critically analyzes the evolution, elements, and limitations of India's Central Asia policy under the Modi administration. The study makes the case—based on primary diplomatic documents and secondary academic literature—those structural factors, like China's influence through the Belt and Road Initiative and Pakistan's rejection of transit rights, continue to limit the depth of engagement, even in light of Central Asia's growing significance in India's strategic considerations in Eurasia. The paper ends by outlining the potential avenues for India to make an impactful presence in this geopolitically contested region.
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