abstract

India's eastern neighbourhood, encompassing countries such as Myanmar, Bangladesh, and China's periphery, presents a complex geopolitical theatre. Over the past decades, this region has evolved from being a site of ethnic conflicts and secessionist struggles to becoming a hotspot for great power rivalries. The convergence of domestic insurgencies, borderland unrest, cross-border ethnic solidarities, and external strategic pressures, especially from China and the United States, has created a multi-layered security dilemma for India. This paper examines the transformation of security concerns in India's eastern neighbourhood by analysing the interplay of regional ethnic movements, border tensions, and strategic interventions by global powers. It draws on contemporary developments, including the Myanmar civil war and Chin-Arakan resistance, China's expanding presence in Bangladesh, and India's recalibration of its Look East/Act East Policy. It argues that India's eastern periphery is no longer a peripheral concern but a crucial frontier of national security, diplomacy, and regional integration.

Through an interdisciplinary approach that blends security studies, international relations theory, and regional geopolitics, this study highlights the shortcomings of traditional security frameworks in dealing with transnational insurgency networks and cross-border ethnic affiliations. It also examines how India has oscillated between opportunistic engagement and strategic passivity in its policy responses. A strategic overhaul is necessary in light of the changing dynamics in India's eastern neighbourhood. It should take into account local aspirations, strengthen regional economic links, and avoid binary alignments in international rivalries. This paper focuses on the imperative for India to recognise the shifting fault lines in its eastern neighbourhood and to forge a nuanced policy that balances domestic cohesion with regional diplomacy and global strategy.