ABOUT THE BOOK

West Asia in Transition-Volume II is the result of a project launched by the Delhi Policy Group (DPG) in 2016 to study the rapidly changing socio-political and economic structures as well as emerging trends in West Asia. The publication is a collection` of essays by senior diplomats, academics and young researchers on different aspects of the profound transformation taking place in the West Asian region.

The principal focus has been on the main drivers of this transformation and on the major players. Particular attention has been paid to the evolution of Islamic thought and practice in the region.viz. Wahhabism, Velayat-i-Faqih, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Salafi-Jihadism, and their overarching influence in the region. The book also looks at the role of the major regional powers—Egypt, Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia and their interactions with each other, as well as the areas engulfed by conflict—Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

The publication of this volume has been made possible through a collaborated effort between the DPG and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). It is hoped that this book, drawing upon the considerable expertise of regional specialists, academics, and former civil servants will be a useful resource for policymakers in helping them to calibrate an effective, informed, and balanced strategy towards the region.

ABOUT Author

Ambassador Sanjay Singh is an alumnus of Delhi University, from where he obtained a Masters degree in Physics. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976, and has served in Indian Missions in Mexico, Germany, Ghana, France, and Vietnam, as well as in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi on various assignments. He served as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Gulf Division (from March 2005 to March 2009); was Ambassador to Iran during 2009–2011; and was Secretary (East) from March 2011 and till April 2013, when he retired. Since then, he has been following developments in West Asia and India’s relations with the region closely. He has also been participating in numerous activities related to the study of West Asia.