I2U2 Group

Last updated

I2U2 Group
AbbreviationI2U2
EstablishedOctober 2021
TypeInter-governmental economic cooperation forum
Region
Middle East, West Asia, South Asia
MembersStates in the Dialogue:

The I2U2 Group is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The group's first joint statement, released on July 14, 2022, states that the countries aim to cooperate on "joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security." [1]

Contents

Background

In an essay for the Middle East Institute, Mohammed Soliman, a foreign policy thinker, made the strategic case for a broader "Indo-Abrahamic Alliance" that includes India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States and would expand in the future to include Egypt and Saudi Arabia to create a favorable balance of power that maintains peace and security in West Asia. [2] [3] Indian commentator Raja Mohan endorsed Soliman's Indo-Abrahamic concept and how it "can provide a huge fillip to India’s engagement with the extended neighbourhood to the west." [4] Soliman's strategic concept of the "Indo-Abrahamic Alliance" is hailed as one of the most influential articulations of post-US Middle East and eventually laid the framework for the I2U2 group. [5]

India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States held their first joint meeting virtually in October 2021. At the time, the grouping of the four countries was compared to the Quad. [6] The inclusion of the UAE and Israel in a cooperative agreement of this kind was made possible by the Abraham Accords brokered in August 2020, which normalized relations between the two countries. [7] Soliman intended for the Indo-Abrahamic Alliance concept to transform West Asia's regional geopolitics and geo-economics and ultimately link the I2U2 Plus group with the Quad to shore up an overarching Asian order. [8] Soliman advocates for expanding the format to include more member states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, and Greece. [9] [10] [11]

Indian commentator Harshil Mehta, writing for News18 , called the I2U2 as "a platform for the 21st century, driven by economic pragmatism, multilateral cooperation, and strategic autonomy", which "stands in sharp contrast to old groupings where religion or political ideology would matter." [12] [13] [14] [15]

Collaborative projects

The group held its inaugural summit on July 14, 2022, in which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated. [16] As an outcome of the summit, the leaders announced that the UAE will invest $2 billion "to develop a series of integrated food parks across India," while the group also agreed to proceed with "a hybrid renewable energy project in India's Gujarat State consisting of 300 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar capacity complemented by a battery energy storage system." [17] Due to the actual needs of all parties, the I2U2's main cooperation focuses on economic growth and trade synergies, unlike the Quad based on defence and security. [18]

On September 21, 2023, under the I2U2 group's focus area of space, the governments of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States announced a new joint space venture on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Primarily using the space-based observation data and capabilities of the four I2U2 partner countries, this project aims to create a unique space-based tool for policymakers, institutions, and entrepreneurs, enabling their work on environmental and climate change challenges and furthering our cooperation in the applications of space data for the greater good of humanity.

The I2U2 members also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US-UAE Business Council, the UAE-India Business Council, and the UAE-Israel Business Council to create the I2U2 Private Enterprise Partnership. This new public-private partnership will work to increase awareness of the I2U2 initiative in business communities and support projects and other efforts that further the goals of the initiative.

I2U2 Plus

Egypt

Raja Mohan argued for the inclusion of Egypt in the Indo-Abrahamic framework because of its location "at the cusp of the Mediterranean – Europe, Africa, and Asia, Egypt is the center and heart of the Greater Middle East." [19] Soliman concurred with Mohan on the strategic need to bring Egypt into the Indo-Abrahamic framework/I2U2 group because of Cairo's civilizational outlook, demographics, geography, economic and military power, and geopolitical aspiration. [20]

Saudi Arabia

Soliman argued that the inclusion of Saudi Arabia under the Indo-Abrahamic framework/I2U2 is "critical to the development of a West Asian system that ensures long-term peace and stability." [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan</span> President of the United Arab Emirates since 2022

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, commonly known by his initials as MBZ or MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who currently serves as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle East and North Africa</span> Geographic region

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East and North Africa together. However, it is widely considered to be a more defined and apolitical alternative to the concept of the Greater Middle East, which comprises the bulk of the Muslim world. The region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary, but the term typically includes countries like Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE, and Yemen.

The history of the Jews in the United Arab Emirates describes the historical and modern presence of Jews over the millennia in the Middle East and the recorded meetings with Jewish communities in areas that are today in the geographic territories of the United Arab Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Israel–United Arab Emirates relations traces its origins to the early days of the Oslo Accords, where Israeli and Emirati diplomats had contact with each other in the 1990s in Washington, D.C. The first diplomatic facility between the two countries opened in 2015, when Israel opened an official diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Turkey and the United Arab Emirates share extensive cultural, military and economic ties, but relations have substantially deteriorated since Arab Spring, and later started to recover in the recent years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

India–United Arab Emirates relations are the bilateral relations that exist between the Republic of India and the United Arab Emirates. Since 3000 B.C., India and the UAE, including its precursor emirates, had close relations with ancient trade networks. Sumerians traded with Meluhha, Magan, and Dilmun (Bahrain), connecting through the UAE. Maritime routes facilitated Arab trade with India for silk, spices, gold, and porcelain. Sumerians traded with Meluhha, Magan, and Dilmun (Bahrain), connecting through the UAE. Maritime routes facilitated Arab trade with India for silk, spices, gold, and porcelain. Post-1971, India-UAE relations strengthened politically, economically, and culturally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestine–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Palestinian Territories - United Arab Emirates relations are the economic and political relations between the United Arab Emirates and The Palestinian Territories. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a Liaison Office in Ramallah while the Palestinian Authority maintain an embassy in Abu Dhabi. Both UAE and the Palestinian Authority form part of the Middle East region and share strong cultural ties. Like other Muslim countries, the UAE supported the independence of Palestinian people. Many Palestinians travel, work, and reside in the UAE. In recent years however, there has been a relapse in relations, as UAE strengthened diplomatic ties with Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudi Arabia–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Saudi Arabia–United Arab Emirates relations are the relations between two neighbouring countries that share extensive political and cultural ties. The two countries are close allies in terms of foreign policy, geopolitical interests, economical interests, and military alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadrilateral Security Dialogue</span> Strategic dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States

The Quad is a grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States that is maintained by talks between member countries. The grouping was initiated in 2007 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the support of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises of an unprecedented scale, titled Exercise Malabar. The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Saudi Arabia relations</span> Bilateral relations

The State of Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have never had formal diplomatic relations. In 1947, Saudi Arabia voted against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, and currently does not recognize Israeli sovereignty. However, as of 2023, bilateral negotiations towards Israeli–Saudi normalization are ongoing, with the United States serving as the two sides' mediator.

Arab–Israeli relations refers to relations between Israel and Arab nations. Israel's relations with the Arab world are overshadowed by the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Israel has been at war with Arab states on several occasions. Furthermore, a large majority of states within the Arab League do not recognize Israel, and Israelis and Jews in general are considered a frequent target of antisemitism in the Arab world. After several Arab-Israeli wars, Egypt was the first Arab state to recognize Israel diplomatically in 1979 with the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. It was followed by Jordan with the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty in 1994. In 2020, four more Arab states normalized relations. There have also been talks of an emerging Arab–Israeli alliance against Iran.

The Qatar diplomatic crisis was a high-profile incident involving the deterioration of ties between Qatar and the Arab League between 2017 and 2021. It began when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt simultaneously severed their bilateral relations with Qatar and subsequently banned Qatar-registered aircraft and Qatari ships from utilizing their sovereign territory by air, land, and sea; this involved the Saudis' closure of Qatar's only land crossing, initiating a de facto blockade of the country. Tensions between the two sides came to a close in January 2021, following a resolution between the Saudis and the Qataris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab–Israeli alliance</span> Security-focused coalition in the Middle East and North Africa

The Arab–Israeli alliance is an unofficial security coalition comprising Israel and various Arab countries. Originally formed in the interest of the Gulf Cooperation Council, it is primarily focused on deterring the political and military ambitions of Iran, which has a proxy conflict both with Saudi Arabia and with Israel. It has been actively promoted by the United States since the February 2019 Warsaw conference. It is sometimes referred to as the Israeli–Sunni alliance, due to the Arab countries in it being predominately Sunni states, while Iran and much of its Axis of Resistance are predominately Shia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement</span> 2020 agreement between Israel and the UAE

The Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, officially the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel, was initially agreed to in a joint statement by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates on August 13, 2020, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords. The UAE thus became the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel, as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so. Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for annexing parts of the West Bank. The agreement normalized what had long been informal but robust foreign relations between the two countries. The agreement was signed at the White House on September 15, 2020. It was approved unanimously by the Israeli cabinet on October 12 and was ratified by the Knesset on October 15. The UAE parliament and cabinet ratified the agreement on October 19. The agreement went into effect on January 5, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Accords</span> 2020 series of Arab–Israeli normalization agreements

The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the announcement of August 13, 2020, concerned Israel and the Emirates before the subsequent announcement of an agreement between Israel and Bahrain on September 11, 2020. On September 15, 2020, the signing of the agreements was hosted by US president Trump on the Truman Balcony of the White House amid elaborate staging intended to evoke the signings of historic formal peace treaties in prior administrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab–Israeli normalization</span> Peace efforts between Arab states and Israel

Since the 1970s, there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed to in the Arab–Israeli conflict and also specifically the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Over the years, numerous Arab League countries have signed peace and normalization treaties with Israel, beginning with the Egypt–Israel peace treaty (1979). Despite the failure to implement the Israeli–Lebanese peace accords (1983), more treaties continued with the Israeli–Palestinian peace process (1991–present), the Israel–Jordan peace treaty (1994), the Abraham Accords normalizing relations between Israel–United Arab Emirates and Israel–Bahrain (2020), the Israel–Sudan normalization agreement (2020) and the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement (2020). Moreover, numerous Arab League members established semi-official relations with Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negev Summit</span>

The Negev Summit was a summit that took place on 27–28 March 2022 in Sde Boker, Israel, in which Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid hosted the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Abrahamic Alliance</span> Inter-governmental security forum

The Indo-Abrahamic Alliance sometimes known as The Indo-Abrahamic Block or The Middle East QUAD or The Western QUAD or West Asian QUAD or I2-U2 is a geostrategic term coined by the foreign policy thinker and grand strategist Mohammed Soliman in use for a long essay for the Middle East Institute. The Indo-Abrahamic term refers to the growing convergence of geopolitical interests among India, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, which will create a regional bloc that would include Egypt and Saudi Arabia and eventually fill in the gap left by a future US withdrawal from the Middle East and represents a counterbalance to Turkey and Iran. The Biden Administration later adopted Soliman's Indo-Abrahamic concept by launching the I2U2 Group in October 2021, which was followed by a leaders-level summit in July 2022.

Events in the year 2022 in the United Arab Emirates.

References

  1. ↑ House, The White (July 14, 2022). "Joint Statement of the Leaders of India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and the United States (I2U2)". The White House.
  2. ↑ "An Indo-Abrahamic alliance on the rise: How India, Israel, and the UAE are creating a new transregional order; The Middle East Institute". www.mei.edu. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Camp David to Indo-Abrahamic alliance- "half right and still waiting"; Modern Diplomacy". moderndiplomacy.eu. June 1, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Making a case for Indo-Abrahamic accord; The Indian Express". indianexpress.com. August 3, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Premium Conversations: Decoding the politics of I2U2 with Mohammed Soliman; The Hindustan Times". www.hindustantimes.com/. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  6. ↑ "India and the new 'Quad' in West Asia; The Indian Express". www.indianexpress.com/. October 20, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  7. ↑ "UAE, US, Israel and India meet to boost four-way co-operation;The National". www.thenationalnews.com. October 18, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  8. ↑ "A new overarching Asian order: With the Indo-Abrahamic bloc, the United States can pivot to East Asia without leaving a vacuum in West Asia; Hindustan Times". www.hindustantimes.com. October 18, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Meet Mohammed Soliman-- the grand strategist behind the West -Asia Quad concept; India Narrative". www.indianarrative.com. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Middle Eastern Quad? How Abraham Accords opened West Asia for India; Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. October 19, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  11. ↑ "The privatization of Haifa Port: India 1 China 0; The Times of Israel". www.timesofisrael.com. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ "How I2U2 is Truly a Platform for 21st Century". News18. July 19, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ ANI; ANI (November 26, 2022). ""Indo-Abrahamic Alliance" continues to gather pace: Report". ThePrint. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ Abel, Pablo (November 27, 2022). "La 'Alianza Indo-Abrahámica' de India e Israel continúa con gran ímpetu". Aurora (in Spanish). Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ "India, Israel's 'Indo-Abrahamic Alliance' continues to gather pace". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  16. ↑ Bhattacherjee, Kallol (July 14, 2022). "India to give land for I2U2-backed food parks". The Hindu.
  17. ↑ "India, Israel, UAE, US hold first 'I2U2' meeting". The Jerusalem Post.
  18. ↑ Hassan M Kamal (July 14, 2022). "Explained: Why the new grouping I2U2 is not a West Asian Quad" . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Making a case for Indo-Abrahamic accord; The Indian Express". indianexpress.com. August 3, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Egypt and India: Time to rebuild relations; The Middle East Institute". mei.edu. May 26, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  21. ↑ "India, Saudi Arabia, and the Indo-Abrahamic Plus; Observer Research Foundation". orfonline.org. July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.