India's Foreign Policy toward Vietnam, 2014-2024
Author
Falgren, Martin
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-05-31
Abstract
This thesis examines India’s foreign policy toward Vietnam from 2014 to 2024, situating the relationship within India’s broader emphasis on strategic partnerships and engagement bilaterally, through ASEAN, and via Indo-Pacific initiatives. The core research question asks why the Modi government treats Vietnam as a resource to leverage. The study proposes two causal factors: India’s Act East Policy (a more action-oriented revision of the Look East Policy) and India’s response to pressure from China, which may lead India to seek support. Methodologically, it employs a qualitative single-case study grounded in neoclassical realism, with India’s foreign policy as the dependent variable and India’s relative power as the independent variable; sources include official materials (e.g., the Ministry of External Affairs and the Navy) and academic literature. The analysis argues that the Act East Policy has played a central role in India’s Vietnam policy, that China has also significantly shaped the relationship, and that these drivers sometimes overlap because China figures in the Act East framework. Findings indicate that the AEP has had a causal impact on India’s engagement with Vietnam; shared concerns about China’s rise and territorial disputes (the South China Sea and the India–China border) shape cooperation; India’s engagement has grown alongside increases in its relative power; and there is elite consensus on policies toward Vietnam and China. The study primarily examines structure- and state-level dynamics, acknowledging but not fully exploring sub-state factors.
Denne afhandling undersøger Indiens udenrigspolitik over for Vietnam i perioden 2014-2024 og placerer relationen i konteksten af Indiens fokus på strategiske partnerskaber og engagementer bilateralt, via ASEAN og gennem Indo-Pacific-initiativer. Det centrale forskningsspørgsmål er, hvorfor Modi-regeringen betoner Vietnam som en ressource. Studien opstiller to forklarende faktorer: Indiens Act East Policy (en mere handlekraftig videreudvikling af Look East Policy) og Indiens håndtering af pres fra Kina, som kan få Indien til at søge støtte. Metodisk anvendes en kvalitativ enkeltcasesanalyse forankret i neoklassisk realisme, hvor Indiens udenrigspolitik er den afhængige variabel og Indiens relative magt den uafhængige; datagrundlaget omfatter officielle kilder (bl.a. det indiske udenrigsministerium og flåden) samt akademisk litteratur. Analysen argumenterer for, at Act East Policy har spillet en central rolle i Indiens Vietnam-politik, at Kina også har haft en væsentlig indflydelse, og at disse faktorer til tider overlapper, fordi Kina indgår i Act East-rammen. Resultaterne peger på, at AEP har haft en kausal effekt på Indiens engagement med Vietnam, at fælles bekymringer over Kinas fremvækst og territoriale stridigheder (Sydkinesiske Hav og den indisk-kinesiske grænse) former samarbejdet, at Indiens engagement er steget i takt med landets voksende relative magt, og at der eksisterer elitekonsensus om politikken over for Vietnam og Kina. Undersøgelsen fokuserer primært på struktur- og statsniveau, mens substatslige forhold anerkendes, men kun i begrænset omfang udforskes.
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