Why Is the Maldives Spurning India?
One might expect there to be a deep reservoir of goodwill between India and the Maldives, given their longstanding relationship spanning strategic, economic, and cultural domains. But, much to India’s alarm, the Maldives has lately been courting China as a new patron and nurturing Islamist radicalism.
NEW DELHI – Far from the headline-grabbing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, in a corner of the Arabian Sea, a bizarre diplomatic conflict has been playing out between India and the Maldives. And it is threatening India’s strategic interests.