The 21st Asian century: The emerging Asian corridor from India to Europe

If the 19th century was European and the 20th century was American, then the 21st century is poised to be Asian. This is the vision laid out by Indian geopolitical strategist Parag Khanna in his book, "The Future Is Asian." The book's title opens the door to many questions about Asia's future.

The dream of the Chinese Silk Road remains unfulfilled due to American objections.

However, the future of Asia hinges on more than just China's dreams. On the same continent, there is also the dream of a corridor from India through the Middle East and all the way to Europe, with American blessing. This was announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India.

Yet, Washington, the sponsor and investor in this project, has not set a timeline for its activation nor provided details about its cost or funding.

What has been announced so far is that the project will start from the Indian capital, New Delhi, cross the sea to the UAE, and then go overland through a railway to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Israeli Haifa port. From there, it will cross the sea to Greece and the entirety of Europe, thus bypassing Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister stated, "I am pleased to inform you that we will be a central intersection in this economic corridor."

This project aims to facilitate trade and the movement of goods between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The new corridor also seeks to ease the transfer of renewable energy and clean hydrogen through cables and pipelines to enhance energy security and support clean energy development efforts.

In addition, according to some observers, the significance of this route lies in reducing about forty percent of the distance between India and Europe by sea.

Geographically, it is safer than the exposed sea route, such as the Suez Canal, which is prone to accidents, like the grounding of the Ever Given ship.

In politics, the corridor could be an alternative to the "North-South Corridor," which starts from India and passes through Iran, Azerbaijan, Moscow, and Europe. This route has faced disruptions for various reasons, including US sanctions on Tehran, security instabilities in the Caucasus region, and the Russian war on Ukraine.