Myanmar and India: Engagement rooted in realism

Myanmar's President and Senior General (Retd.) Min Aung Hlaing paid a five-day official visit to India recently. After assuming the Presidency of Myanmar, it was Min Aung Hlaing’s first overseas visit. His India trip before his China visit is being seen internationally as a significant diplomatic signal. Questions have been raised about what it means for India to engage with a leader whose path to presidency included a military coup deposing the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi. The answers can be better understood with analysis grounded in India's demonstrable strategic interests.