What is Chicken Neck? Discuss the geopolitical importance of Chicken Neck

 

What is Chicken Neck

The Siliguri Corridor is a narrow strip of land connecting the northeastern states of India with the rest of the country. Located in the northern part of West Bengal, the Siliguri Corridor is also called Chicken Neck because of its shape like a chicken's neck. Apart from this, this corridor is also called a double-edged sword, Achilles' heel or ankle. Due to the importance of its geographical location and the communication, security and political considerations of the Republic of India, the Siliguri Corridor is called by many names. However, this corridor is best known as Chicken Neck in international geopolitics. The length of this land is only 22 kilometers and the width is 20 to 60 kilometers.

Geopolitical importance of Chicken Neck

The geographical location of states is particularly important in international politics. Geographical location can be the main source of strength of a state on the one hand, and on the other hand, it can also be the cause of its eternal weakness. The 'Siliguri Corridor' included in the Republic of India is acting as a geopolitical 'double-edged sword' in this case. 

From one side, the corridor is playing a very important role in protecting the geographical integrity and political unity of India, while from the other side, the corridor can become a serious threat to India's national security and political stability. In fact, the Siliguri Corridor is a very important territory not only for India but also in the geopolitics of the entire South Asia. The geopolitical/strategic importance of Chicken Neck is discussed below-

Geographical location of Chicken Neck:

Northeast India is connected to the main Indian territory through this corridor. This narrow corridor has Bangladesh on one side and Nepal on the other. Apart from Bangladesh and Nepal, the place is very close to the borders of Bhutan and China. Moreover, Northeast India is completely landlocked. There is no sea anywhere around it. 

On the one hand, the corridor falls between four countries, and on the other hand, since there is no river or sea route except land, this corridor is the only way to communicate with the 7 states of the northeastern region of India. If this small area ever falls into the hands of the enemy, New Delhi will lose contact with the 7 states. Therefore, this corridor is very important from a strategic point of view.

Risk of protecting geographical integrity:

In order to protect India's geographical integrity and maintain political stability in Northeast India, New Delhi has to maintain a strong military presence in the region. However, in addition to the shape of the corridor, it is also practically a 'chicken neck' from a geopolitical and geostrategic point of view, because any powerful rival state of India in this region can wring this 'chicken's neck' if it wants, that is, it can occupy the Siliguri corridor and isolate Northeast India from the main Indian territory.

Similarities with Myanmar:

India has a total of 28 provinces. Out of these, 8 provinces are located in the North East region. These are Sikkim, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal and Nagaland. The remaining seven provinces, excluding Sikkim, are collectively known as the Seven Sisters. Geographically, the Seven Sisters are far away from the mainland or capital of India. 

In addition, from an anthropological and cultural point of view, these regions are more similar to Myanmar than to India. In this situation, due to various political, socio-economic, cultural, historical and other factors, separatism (or from a different perspective, independence movements) and various political instability (especially ethnic and religious conflicts) prevail in the 'Seven Sisters' provinces, and as a result, it is already quite difficult for the Indian state to maintain control over the region.

New Delhi's only means of control:

The Siliguri Corridor is very important for an independent Indian state, because this narrow corridor has maintained the connection of North-East India with the Indian mainland and has enabled New Delhi to maintain control over North-East India. If the Siliguri Corridor had not existed, it would have been almost impossible for New Delhi to suppress the separatist/independence movements spreading in the provinces of North-East India, because it would have been very difficult for India to send troops and military equipment to the region. 

Similarly, if the Siliguri Corridor had not existed, it would have been very difficult for New Delhi to conduct various types of economic activities in North-East India. Simply put, if the Siliguri Corridor had not existed, it is very likely that the North-East Indian provinces would have become independent states and a 'second partition' of India would have taken place.

China's claims and views:

Politically, China identifies a large part of Arunachal Pradesh as 'South Tibet'. They also claim that part as part of China. In this regard, the Siliguri Corridor is also considered as Achilles' heel. Almost all parts of Achilles, the great hero of the Greek epic, could not be hit by weapons anywhere on his body. But his heel was an exception. In the myth, it is mentioned that in the Trojan War, the arrow thrown by the Trojan prince Paris was able to hit Achilles' heel. As a result, Mahavir was killed.

The important weakness of someone seemingly strong is called the Achilles' heel. India's relations with India's neighboring countries are not going well at present. China has continued to make all-out efforts to reduce India's dominance in the region and increase its own influence. 

In this situation, China has its eyes on this chicken neck to destroy India's integrity. The railway that passes through the Siliguri Corridor has only one line. This corridor is often damaged by landslides and other natural disasters. The distance from this corridor to China is not very far. If the Siliguri Corridor is occupied for any reason, the mainland Indian territory can be separated from North East India.

 

There is no such thing as permanent friendship or permanent enmity in international politics, and a state can never become overly dependent on another state for its security. Therefore, the Siliguri Corridor will continue to be considered as the main link between the mainland Indian territory and North East India and will continue to exist as India's weak 'chicken neck' or 'Achilles heel'. 

Unless there is a revolutionary change in the geopolitical situation in South Asia, there is no possibility of changing this relationship between the Indian state and the Siliguri Corridor. However, it is also extremely true that the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken Neck has become important in geopolitics. Its security is especially important for India. So it can be said that the chicken neck, which is known for its shape, has become the cut of India's neck!