This book presents a comprehensive analysis of India’s relationship with the Southeast Asian nations in the context of the changing dynamics of international relations and the emergence of Indo-Pacific as the theatre of world politics. It covers a wide range of themes, from strategic to political, economic, diplomatic and security aspects, and assesses how India’s redefining of its role in world politics unfolds through its posture towards the Southeast Asian region.

The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Asian studies, both South Asian and Southeast Asian studies, and politics and international relations. It will also be useful for public policy analysts and think tanks and policymakers.

Shailza Singh teaches in the Department of Political Science, Bharati College, University of Delhi, India. Her area of specialization includes international relations and comparative politics. Her research interest primarily centres around security as a conceptual, policy and governance category, particularly its relevance for the developing countries. The broad spectrum of her research includes security studies in the Third World, traditional and non-traditional security in South and Southeast Asia, everyday (in)security in the Indian cities, as well as global international relations. She has been actively presenting her works on significant national and international forums. She has published in International Studies and Studies in Indian Politics, two prestigious journals in political science and international relations in India. She teaches courses on India’s foreign policy, international relations and global politics, peace and conflict resolution, human rights, gender and environment. Shailza is Associate Editor of the journal The Research Post. She is also associated with peace and security in the International Politics Research Group of the University of Delhi and has been a member of International Studies Association (ISA).

Philip Varghese is currently a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science-United Nations University (JSPS-UNU) postdoctoral fellow. He is also a visiting researcher at Akita International University and United Nations University. In this role, he works closely with the Biodiversity and Society (BDS) team at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Tokyo, and his independent research looks at the intersections of local governance, sustainability and tourism. Prior to this, he spent about five years teaching courses on Indian government and politics, global politics, comparative politics, social movement and development process, and international relations in Delhi NCR at Christ University and GD Goenka University. While at Christ University, he was part of the project “India’s Neighborhood Policy Towards the Southeast Asian Region: A Study on Act East Policy (INPSAR)” funded by Hanns Seidel Stiftung, India. He holds a PhD and an MPhil degree in political science from the Centre for Political Studies (CPS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; an MA in political science from Madras Christian College, Chennai; and a BA in economics and political science from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi. He is the corresponding editor for this book project.

Shalini Balaiah teaches International Relations at Christ University, Bannerghatta Road campus, Bengaluru, India. Her research interests include conflict and security issues, foreign policy, geopolitics, Eurasia, West Asia and Indo-Pacific. She teaches courses on geopolitics, foreign policy, terrorism and counterterrorism, West Asia, global power politics, and peace and conflict studies. She has been part of the project “India’s Neighbourhood Policy towards the Southeast Asian Region: A Study on Act East Policy (INSPAR)” funded by Hans Seidel Stiftung, India. She has completed her MA, MPhil and PhD in international relations from the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and her BA from Bangalore University, Karnataka. She is also a member of the International Studies Association (ISA).

Sarish Sebastian teaches political science at Christ University, Delhi NCR. He is also the Coordinator of Examinations at the NCR campus. Currently he is teaching political theory and thought for law graduates. His research interests include foreign policy of India, Southeast Asia, Geopolitics, South Asia and Indo-Pacific. He was the principal investigator of the project “India’s Neighbourhood Policy towards the Southeast Asian Region: A Study on Act East Policy (INSPAR)” funded by Hans Seidel Stiftung, India. He has published a book titled Parliamentary Democracy in Bhutan and a few articles on Bhutan in edited books and journals. He holds a masters and PhD in political science from the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India, and a bachelor degree from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.