UPSC Mains 2022 GS Paper 2 Q19: model answer

In September 2020 the Abraham Accords normalised relations between Israel and the UAE. Two years later, in July 2022, the leaders of India, Israel, the UAE and the US held the first summit of I2U2, sometimes called the 'West Asian Quad'.

Agenda

• Joint investment in six areas: water, energy, transport, space, health and food security.
• First projects: UAE funding of about $2 billion for integrated food parks in India, using Israeli and US technology; a hybrid renewable energy project in Gujarat.
• Private-sector-led, with no security component.

How it transforms India's position

• From buyer to partner in West Asia: India moves beyond oil and remittances to co-investment and technology.
• Bridge role: India works with Israel and the Arab world at the same time, showing its balancing skill.
• US partnership beyond the Indo-Pacific: India becomes a US partner in West Asia, not only in the Quad.
• Food and energy security: Indian farmland and renewable capacity linked to Gulf capital, serving the region's food needs.
• Connectivity: it laid groundwork for the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced at the G20 in 2023.
• Minilateral diplomacy: India's growing use of small, issue-based groupings.

Limits

• The Gaza war since October 2023 and the 2026 conflict around Iran have slowed regional projects.
• Few projects delivered so far.
• Risk of being seen as taking sides against Iran, with which India has important interests.
• Dependence on US political priorities.

Conclusion

I2U2 will not transform India's global position on its own, but it marks a shift: India as a co-designer of West Asia's economic future rather than a customer. Its value will be measured in completed projects, not summits.