India's Look West Policy: From Nehru to Modi – A Comprehensive Political Analysis (1947-2025)

India's relationship with the Middle East, officially termed as West Asia, has undergone a fundamental transformation from 1947 to 2025. This region, which is an extended neighbourhood for India, is critical for India's energy security, diaspora welfare, economic interests and strategic autonomy. This research paper traces the evolution of India's Look West Policy through three distinct phases. Phase I (1947-1991) is the Nehruvian Idealist Phase, dominated by non-alignment, support for Palestine, and anti-colonial solidarity. India under Nehru and Indira Gandhi strongly supported Arab nationalism and the Palestinian cause, and kept distance from Israel. Phase II (1991-2014) is the Pragmatic Phase, triggered by economic liberalization, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end of Cold War. This phase saw the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992, the beginning of Look West Policy I under Narasimha Rao, and its extension as Look West Policy II under Manmohan Singh, focusing on energy and diaspora. Phase III (2014-2025) is the De-hyphenated and Strategic Phase under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This phase is marked by a complete de-hyphenation of India's ties - independent and strong relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran and Palestine at the same time. The policy is no longer driven by ideology but by Kautilyan realism and national interest. The central argument of this paper is that India's West Asia policy has moved from idealism to realism, from balancing to de-hyphenation, and from being a passive observer to being an active strategic player. The paper uses historical and analytical methodology based on secondary sources like MEA archives, PM speeches, and scholarly works. The study concludes that Modi's Look West Policy is the most successful and balanced foreign policy doctrine India has had for the region, making India a Madhyama power accepted by all regional actors.