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I2U2 Group

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

Background

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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

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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.[1]

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.[2]

I2U2 Plus

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Egypt

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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

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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]

References

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  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.
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