Neighbourhood First Policy

Definition

India's foreign-policy approach that gives priority to building strong, stable, and cooperative relations with its immediate South Asian neighbours.

Key points

• It prioritises India's immediate neighbours: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar.
• Its instruments include development assistance, lines of credit, connectivity, disaster relief, and people-to-people ties, with an emphasis on non-reciprocity towards smaller neighbours.
• It works through regional groupings such as SAARC (which has been hampered by India-Pakistan tensions) and increasingly BIMSTEC.
• India's "first responder" role in regional crises, such as humanitarian and disaster relief, is part of this policy.
• It connects to security because instability and hostile influence in the neighbourhood, including from China's growing presence, directly affect India's strategic environment.

Why it matters for CAPF

The policy frames India's South Asian diplomacy and its security concerns about the neighbourhood; it is a common international-relations theme and pairs well with Act East and SAGAR.

Common confusion

"Neighbourhood First" focuses on immediate South Asian neighbours, while "Act East" focuses on South-East Asia. SAARC includes Pakistan and has stalled, whereas BIMSTEC excludes Pakistan and has gained prominence as India works around the SAARC deadlock.

Related concepts

concept act east policy, concept sagar doctrine, concept bimstec, concept indus waters treaty

Parent note

international organisations and india