Violence in Iraq and Syria continued. Hopes of peace in the Arab World are just that — dream
This past year has been an extremely tumultuous one, the centenary of the controversial Sykes-Picot agreement that carved up the levant has seen that region continue to be ripped as under. That said, the overall military defeat of the reprehensible Islamic State organisation is one bright spot. However, stories of the scale of reprisals in cities recaptured by Government forces, such as in Mosul, are shocking. At the same time, political turmoil, particularly surrounding the state of the Kurds, the largest stateless community in the world, remains a potential tinderbox, which could at any time bring in Iran and Turkey into the conflict openly. India should also be worried about indoctrinated youth who had joined the Islamic State, coming back to India and fomenting trouble as the terrorist organisation is exhorting them to.
India’s position in the area has been a confused one, friends as it is with two mortal enemies Iran and Israel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Israel earlier this year did, however, mark an important step between the two nations. But at the same time, India’s dithering over how to proceed on the Chabahar Port has given China some leverage over some strategic resources. At the same time, India has maintained a studied silence on events in Saudi Arabia, where young Prince and heir apparent, Mohammad Bin-Salman, made some shocking moves to consolidate his hold on power by imprisoning many of his opponents.
Whether India likes it or not, it has to play a major role in the Arab peninsula and the levant. This is not just because of India’s historic ties to this region, connected by trade and religion, but also because many millions of Indians derive their livelihood from the region. Instability in the region will lead to many more crises of rescues and dead workers. While the immigration authorities have cracked down on travel to this region by workers, it needs to do more to ensure that Indians do not put themselves in harms way.
There is another problem that many hundreds of thousands of Indian workers in the region face and that is mistreatment, with male workers being subjected to demeaning living conditions as well as hazardous working conditions and many women workers being subjected to sexual abuse or worse, slavery. India must protect the rights of its citizens working in these nations, these people are Indian citizens who have gone to ensure their families have a better future. Their families are left traumatised by the treatment of their family members in some Arab countries and by acting against rogue employers and agents. India would do well to act against these people.