India as a foreign policy leader and balancer

Source: The post is based on an article “India as a foreign policy leader and balancer” published in the Indian Express on 26^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 International Relations

Relevance: Evolution of India’s Foreign Policies

News: India is going to be the next President of the G20. India’s Presidency provides a perfect opportunity and beginning for the next anniversary era.

What are the principles guiding India’s Foreign Policy?

National interests are the principal driver of India’s foreign policy. For example, National security remains the key driver. Further, India’s Foreign Policies are anchored in a nuanced balancing of interests and values.

The Foreign Policies are guided by the belief that external relationships accelerate India’s economic progress.

Other motivations include the desire to enhance the nation’s standing externally and the impulse to do good for the world. For example, India assisted over 90 countries during Pandemic Covid-19.

What is the evolution of India’s Foreign Policy?

During Cold-war Period

India believed in the ideals of equity like India’s independence would be incomplete without the liberation of Asia and Africa.

Traditionally, India has acted as a balancer and leader. During the Cold war, India was the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement and G77. India also remained in proximity with the West and demonstrated the capability to cooperate and communicate with the “other” side — Russia and China.

Since its Independence, India has accorded the highest priority to India’s immediate neighbours. For example, India’s contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh and the military interventions in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

India’s foreign policy mainly focused on China and Pakistan due to the history of conflicts between Pakistan and China.

Post-Cold War Period

In the post-Cold War period, India has moved more time and resources to careful nurturing relations with the major powers like the US, EU, especially France and Germany, the UK, Japan, Russia and China.

Post-2014 Period

From an economy that faced the challenge of feeding its population until the 1960s, India has emerged as the fifth-largest economy.

Now, India has ties with countries across regions, i.e., in the South Pacific, through Southeast and South Asia, in other parts of Asia, Europe, the Indian Ocean region, Africa, North America and Latin America. This show India is one of the aspiring, as well as a major player on the world stage.

The neighbours have not been ignored. For example, equations with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives are excellent.

Now, India is a leading member of the UN, an oft-invitee to the G7, a founding member of the BRICS, and a pivotal part of the G20. Further, India has become a major stakeholder in the comity of nations.

What are the challenges to India’s external standing?

a) India’s relations with its neighbours like Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka seem to have turned since the Covid-19 pandemic, b) both SAARC and BIMSTEC are not performing at the desired level, c) Despite India’s enhanced GDP and its IT prowess, the doors of permanent membership in the UN Security Council remain shut.

The importance of Indo-Pacific region

The Indo-Pacific Region has emerged as a principal theatre for Indian diplomacy in terms of Foreign Policy. For example,

(a) India’s continuous focus on the ASEAN Grouping, despite the setback of India’s exit from RCEP, is a determined pushback to China.

(b) Further, India is also partnering with the Quad, AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Partners in the Blue Pacific etc., as the Indian Ocean region (IOR) is witnessing an active US-China contestation as well as a strong competition between China-India.

(c) Further, India focuses on Africa’s eastern and southern flanks to enable India to craft a series of initiatives to strengthen cooperation in maritime activity, economic development, and the blue economy.

Further, the I2U2 (India, Israel, U.S. UAE) has been formed to cause progress in India-UAE, India-Israel and UAE-Israel relations.

What should be done?

The Ministry of External Affairs has been aided by academia, think tanks, civil society and media more than ever before, in terms of foreign policy making. This is a reflection of the maturity and sophistication of Indian democracy.