Modi government’s reactive Myanmar policy keeps it from being a constructive force for democracy

This story is part of ‘Modi’s India from the Edges’, a special Himal series presenting Southasian regional perspectives on Narendra Modi’s decade in power and possible return as prime minister in the 2024 Indian election. To read the series and support Himal’s work on it, click here.

In November 2014, just months after taking charge as the prime minister of India following a high-voltage election, Narendra Modi made a somewhat intrepid announcement at the 12th India-ASEAN Summit. “A new era of economic development, industrialisation and trade has begun in India,” he said. “Externally, India’s ‘Look East Policy’ has become ‘Act East Policy’.” While the precise contours of the policy were not clear then, Modi’s intent was obvious: expanding India’s ties with Southeast Asia. What was equally, if not more, significant about the announcement was that he made it in Naypyidaw, the sprawling capital of Myanmar.