West Asia in the Post-Pandemic World Order: Shaping the RIC (Russia-India-China) as an Instrument for Regional Peace

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised questions about the shape of the world order that will emerge from this crisis. The general view is that it will accelerate trends that were already apparent in world affairs. The pandemic has hit West Asia with a ‘double whammy’ – the health crisis coupled with the collapse in oil prices on which most regional economies depend to maintain their political, economic and social order. With the region already enmeshed in serious conflicts – in Syria, Yemen and Libya – and experiencing widespread destruction and instability, there are legitimate concerns that the pandemic could aggravate regional divisions and, by design or inadvertence, plunge West Asia into a region-wide conflagration. Given diminished US capacity, credibility and interest in global leadership and responsibility, this paper argues that the pandemic has opened up opportunities for the exploration of new engagements and alignments and shaping of new leadership roles. The paper proposes that the three RIC nations – Russia, India and China – work jointly in a ‘Greater Eurasian Partnership’ framework to address their internal, regional and global interests. This will strengthen mutual ties within the trilateral format, particularly through resetting Sino-Indian relations, so that the RIC could become an effective instrument to promote regional security and stability. This revitalised RIC would then be well-equipped to pursue initiatives to deal with West Asia’s immediate pandemic-related challenges and shape and lead a peace process in West Asia.