Look (Act) East Policy: With or Through the Northeast

Abstract

From the time the Government of India declared its Look East Policy (LEP), a question has been asked about its effectiveness in the Northeast. Many Northeast tribes that are divided between India and Myanmar need regular social, cultural and economic contact. One has to view the region primarily as a habitat of people, a part of whose identity is linked to South East Asia. There is much migration from Chin State to Mizoram which causes tension. The primary reason for migration is the absence of any alternative livelihood as agricultural land has become gradually infertile making cultivation impossible. It is in the border regions like Chin State and Mizoram that cooperation in the development process can unleash new practices of LEP unlike the trade growth model.