From naysayer to leader: 

From naysayer to leader: 

Context

As US President Donald Trump appears before the United Nations General Assembly this week for the first time and outlines his controversial worldview, the Indian delegation led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has an opportunity to build on the new pragmatism in Delhi’s multilateral diplomacy.

A change in foreign policy in recent times-A more proactive assertion

• India’s foreign policy has been  based  more recently on a clear sense of its priorities, an integrated view of regions, and a more vigorous effort directed at confidently pursuing multiple relationships simultaneously and making a global impact.
• Not alienating from the use of soft power, India under the Modi government has emphasized the use of soft power in Indian foreign policy, as evidenced by the International Day of Yoga and its links with the country’s culture and heritage.
• Another “innovation” is related to the Indian diaspora. While their achievements have long been broadly appreciated, India under the Modi government has been more direct thus far in engaging with overseas Indians.
• A ‘neighbourhood first’ policy- The Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping – meant to advance motor vehicle movement, water power management, and inter-grid connectivity – and the common SAARC Satellite, which India has decided to proceed with despite Pakistan’s objections, are the two examples in this regard.
• There has also been a more explicit link made between diplomacy and national development efforts, with India working hard to leverage its international relationships to bring resources, technology and best practices to further its own development such as through the Make in India initiative
• India has tried to engineer stronger partnerships with Japan and Israel .
• In last decades, head of the state never thought of visiting Canada, Australia and Islands of South Pacific. It was for the first time South Pacific gained prominence in India’s foreign policy calculations
• India’s global outreach to clinch India the coveted membership of Missile Technology Control Regime(MTCR),NSG,etc shows India’s interest  in a more assertive role for itself that seeks to make it a leading power.
• India’s firm stand at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the food-stockpiling issue, central to India’s food security, stood out. After vetoing the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement in Geneva, India made the U.S. climbdown on the food-stockpiling issue. Even the head of the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development backed the veto, saying the real choice for India in Geneva was between “feeding” its citizens and “creating jobs” for wealthy economies.
• India’s policy on climate change under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From being the naysayer, India played a key role in generating consensus in the Paris talks on climate change at the end of 2015. When Trump turned the US policy on climate change upside down, Modi reaffirmed India’s support for the Paris accord and promised to work with other leading powers
• Another huge success experienced this year was the sharp upsurge in ties with the U.S., elevating the strategic partnership to unprecedented levels.
• India’s expanding relations with ASEAN and East Asia under Act East Policy are yielding rich dividends.
• However, China continues to be a challenge that India will have to contend with in the coming years. China’s growing political, military and economic prowess make it increasingly assertive in areas where India’s interests are involved. Beijing’s support for Pakistan, notably with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that crosses territory claimed by India, the DOKLAM issue, the granting of stapled visas to people from Arunachal Pradesh,etc have led to a further straining of ties.

The need for a new pragmatism in multilateral diplomacy

The era of knee-jerk interventionism by the western countries such as US and allies that followed the end of Cold War may be winding down, thanks to the declining political support in the West for meddling in other people’s affairs.

Some instances at UN where India’s change in stance was evitable are as follows:

• India, for the first time, abstained from voting on a resolution on Palestine adopted at the UN rights body that calls for accountability by parties involved in  conflict in Gaza.
• Israel thanked India for not voting on an “anti-Israel bashing” UNHRC resolution, which sources said was a result of Tel Aviv’s sustained talks with the Indian leadership over the past year
• The rise of India has encouraged the US and its European allies to put commercial and geopolitical imperatives above proclaimed concerns on human rights and non-proliferation.
• India’s thinking on global issues has in recent years moved away from defensiveness to claims of leadership. Nothing illustrates this better than India’s policy on climate change under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From being the naysayer, India played a key role in generating consensus in the Paris talks on climate change at the end of 2015
• The NDA government has also mobilised multilateral pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting cross-border terrorism but has run into resistance from China, Islamabad’s ally.
• Finding common ground on specific issues with the US, China, Japan, Europe and Russia in smaller plurilateral fora has indeed become an important part of India’s multilateral diplomacy.
• This was demonstrated by the trilateral engagement with the top diplomats of US and Japan on the one hand and the BRICS foreign ministers on the other by the Indian foreign minister on the sidelines of UN talks.

Conclusion

India has the opportunity to build on the new pragmatism in Delhi’s multilateral diplomacy. The NDA government has over the last three years begun to chip away at the ideological posturing that has long been the hallmark of India’s UN diplomacy. Advancing this transition to realpolitik at the UN should be Swaraj’s main political objective in New York.