The Limits of India's Moves in Myanmar

To take advantage of Myanmar's opening to the world and its deliberate rebalancing away from a near-exclusive relationship with China, New Delhi will probably need help. As Myanmar's neighbor and one of Naypyidaw's options for diversifying its foreign relations, India has three interests related to the country: quelling ethnic militancy along the Indo-Myanmar border, integrating its remote northeast region and increasing its energy production to meet domestic demand. However, India's excessive bureaucracy and various other complications have hindered its ability to make substantial moves in Myanmar. Therefore, any robust Indian involvement in Myanmar will likely require cooperation with and even financial assistance from other countries with strategic interests in the region.