From the pre-independence days to the conclusion of the recent Persian Gulf War, India has maintained a strong pro-Arab policy. This book traces the economic, political, and psychological factors that have influenced India's pro-Arab policy from the 1920s to today, and how these factors influence the implementation of present policy with the Arab world. The origins and dynamics of India's foreign policy with West Asia are discussed in detail. Although India's relations with her immediate neighbors are the subject of much study, this examination of India and the Arab world provides a multitude of the perplexing issues that have a direct bearing on India's diversity and rise to mid-level power status.

The author finds that India's relations with West Asia are anything but symmetrical as New Delhi continues to give unequivocal support to Arab interests while Arabs generally fail to support India on vital South Asian questions. The continuity of India's pro-Arab policy rests on the relevancy of West Asian oil for industrial development, security interests in the northern frontiers and Indian Ocean, and the sensitivities of India's large Muslim population. Most specifically, India has and will continue to support the creation of a separate Palestinian state. Students and scholars of Indian politics, comparative foreign policy study, Middle East affairs, and international politics will find this study, with its extensive bibliography, a useful and interesting book.

The contents of this book are based on invited papers submittedfor presentation and discussion at the 1990 Material Handling Research Colloquium held in Hebron, Kentucky, June 19-21,1990. The Colloquium was sponsored and organized by the College Industry Councilfor Material Handling Education (CIC-MHE) with addi tional co-sponsorship and funding provided by numerous organizations (see ac knowledgements). The purpose of the Colloquium was to foster open discussion about the current state of material handling research at universitiesfrom across the United States and Canada. It was an opportunity to share specific research directions and accomplish ments. But more importantly, it was an opportunity to discuss the implications of the basic constraints to solving industry relevant problems in the field of material handling and closely related activities; the efficacy of the approaches being taken at the present time; and the directions believed to be of most value to the industry and to advancing the knowledge and science base of the material handling engineering discipline. The sponsoring organization, the College Industry Councilfor Material Handling Education was founded in 1952. The council is composed of college and university educators, material handling equipment manufacturers, distributors, users and con sultants, representatives of the business press plus professional staff and members of other organizations concerned with material handling education."