ABSTRACT
India's policy of opening up its conflict-ridden northeastern region to Myanmar (Burma) carries numerous risks. This chapter describes India's policy shift towards engagement with Myanmar as an extension of its twin security and development agendas, in which two key goals have guided India's Myanmar policy since the 1990s. One is to facilitate trade and development in ‘land-locked’ Northeast India by constructing transportation routes via Myanmar to the Bay of Bengal, Thailand and China's Yunnan Province. The other is to secure cooperation with Myanmar on counterinsurgency operations against the cross-border bases of Northeast Indian insurgent groups. In exchange, India has been willing to provide military aid to Myanmar and open up for overland trade at designated border crossings. Highlighting the difficulties of India's engagement with its fragile neighbor, this chapter critiques the widespread view of Indian policymakers that opening up to Myanmar will alleviate conflict and help bring peace and prosperity to Northeast India. 1
