India’s Diverse Borders and Diverse Threats

As India successfully positions itself as one of the core, influential nations of the world, its security scenario has become more vulnerable and complex. The roots of India’s security challenges lie not only at the regional and international levels but also from within. These threats can be dealt with by securing the borders efficiently. However, the borders of India and their associated problems, geographical, social and cultural, are vivid and varied. Each border receives a different kind of treatment in accordance with the existing mutual relationship across the border. If the border people cannot connect with the country’s mainstream, national security is affected. Indian policymakers face a hard challenge to formulate an integrated policy for borderlands and borders. While there are many common cross-border issues, chiefly non-security threats, there are other cross-border issues which are border specific. Besides, soft approaches to economic and cultural cross-border interactions are beneficial. The border security approach focuses on defending the borders from various threats but the border management approach involves protecting the interests of the country across the border.