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by V. P. Singh (December 1989–November 1990) and Chandra Shekar
(November 1990–June 1991) were minority ones and were bogged down
in a host of domestic issues and controversies (Chakrabarty 2006 ). As a
result, foreign policy challenges, especially the Kuwait crisis, did not elicit
adequate attention. The urgency of bringing home an estimated 150,000
citizens stranded in Kuwait resulted in India adopting positions which
gave the impression that it was tacitly endorsing the Iraqi invasion. The
financial cost of evacuation and immediate unemployment of Gulf return-
ees became a social and economic burden and unintentionally ushered in
the liberalization of the economy which would transform the fundamental
nature of the Indo-Saudi relations. Things, however, took time.
Jaswant Singh “will be the first ever Indian External Affairs Minister to
visit Saudi Arabia,” remarked a keen observer of India’s foreign policy
strategy in October 2000, which “reflects the dismal record of political
engagement between two very important neighbours” (Raja Mohan
2000 ). This was despite three visits by Prince Faisal to India in the 1980s
and reflected the unease and indifference with which India approached the
Kingdom. The Euro-centric Cold War reaching South Asia through the
Afghan crisis and the resultant Pakistan-Saudi bonhomie were the primary
reasons for the lack of political moves from New Delhi. This was com-
pounded by its limited political influence and leverage vis-à-vis the oil-rich
monarchy.
However, with hindsight, one could argue that Jaswant Singh’s visit
was the turning point in the bilateral relations. A spate of meaningful
political exchanges and a more confident economic approach towards one
another began with this visit. The economic reforms introduced by Prime
Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao started to show results in the late 1990s
and the Indian economy was growing at a faster rate than any time since
- Singh’s visit also signalled a calibrated approach towards the
Pakistani factor in shaping India’s foreign policy, especially vis-à-vis the
Middle East.
Since the early 1990s, Prime Minister Rao and his successors have been
navigating the challenges posed by the end of the Cold War and their focus
was primarily aimed at the US which has acquired a near monopoly in global
affairs. The period between the liberation of Kuwait in February 1991 and
the September 11 attacks in 2001 was the highpoint of American political
power. Having found itself on the ‘losing’ side of the bloc politics, much
of the Indian attention was towards the US for political support and eco-
nomic assistance from the Britten Woods Institutions. The disintegration
P. R. KUMARASWAMY AND MD. M. QUAMAR