Revisiting India’s Look East Policy: Analyzing India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

Abstract

The trajectory of India’s Look East policy is often lauded for producing positive results over past two decades of its existence. The conclusion and implementation of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement can be considered as another milestone achieved by this policy. However this agreement has come under stress right from the beginning of its negotiation, where concerns for adverse consequence have been voiced from all layers of the Indian society. This article therefore undertakes a survey of the India’s Look east policy along with the free trade agreement, highlighting the positives and negatives, along with the potentials in the future.