Document Type : Research Paper
Author
PhD of International Relations, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Introducing of the Belt - Road Initiative, China is being considered as a prior actor pursuing regional ties and a connectivities between Asia and Europe. However, China's presence in this area seems not to be the only one and there is a high competition for building infrastructures across Eurasia. India is one of the Asian giant who is slowly entering the huge infrastructure projects in this continent and seeks the revival of International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC). The author argues that the New Spice Route is a metaphor that narrates the revival of rivalry between India and China to dominate the routes of transporting goods and energy. The present literature is to explore the main goals and motivations of India for revitalizing International North-South Transportation Corridor in the direction of New Spice Route that was established around fifteen years ago. Using descriptive-analytical method and library and documentary resources, under the framework of the theory of structural realism, the author tries to show that India's attempt to reconstruct INSTC and to promote the New Spice Route primarily focuses on security objectives and incentives, including a change of status quo in Jammu and Kashmir; stripping China's geopolitical and geostrategic opportunities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR); establishing a gap between Pakistan and its neighbors, in particular with Afghanistan; and making geopolitical ties with its new partners in Central Asia and South Caucasus via Iran.
Keywords
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