Cultural Premises for India's Geo-strategic Role in East Asia

The article aims to assess the main culturally relevant premises that have prepared the soil for India's current projection of influence into the East Asian region. Based on the assumption that geographical position is a principal factor of cultural influence diffusion, thus justifying a certain state's developing role in the international system, this article deals with the geographical and historical layers of India's participation in the cultural processes of its eastern neighbourhood and provides a summary of its contemporary connections with East Asia. The article reveals that India's traditional localization within South Asia/Indian subcontinent has distorted and simplified its geo-strategic position, especially towards its eastern neighbourhood. Due especially to its cultural heritage and contemporary ideational appeal, India can reasonably claim a larger diplomatic, economic and security role in the eastern and particularly southeastern part of Asia.