ISAS Working Papers

Despite being the only part of India that provides land connectivity to Southeast Asia, the Northeast Region (NER) has received very little or negligible attention under New Delhi's Look East Policy. In fact, the region was not considered a part of the policy for many years but there has been a change . Today, the Northeast Region is portrayed as an important foc al point , and the development of this region is often cited as one of the main objectives of the Look East Policy. Indeed, the impression about the region has transformed from that of a barrier to a bridge between India and Southeast Asia. This paper trace s the internal dynamics, the Government of India's attitude towards the region and the external factors that have led to this transformation.