The issue of India being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council has fascinated me for a long time, compelling me to write my Master’s thesis on the topic. I have often wondered why a nation like India has been left out of the Council so far. Below I present my opinion on why it is time for India to become a permanent member of the UNSC.
There is no denying that India’s position in Asia has always been that of a great power which has had a strong impact on other Asian nations’ cultures, economies, identities et al. India continues to play an important role in the development of South Asia. India has come a long way since its independence in 1947 to today’s global information age. The following quote from Gurcharan Das’ book, ‘India Unbound’, perfectly explains this claim, “The ascent of a country from poverty to prosperity, from tradition to modernity, is a great and fascinating enterprise. India has recently emerged as a vibrant free- market democracy after the economic reforms in 1991, and it has begun to flex its muscles in the global information economy.”
Keeping in line with the most important feature of the realist school of thought that lays emphasis on national interest and security, India currently maintains the third largest active armed force in the world after China and the United States of America. The Indian government, during its Union Budget of 2010-2011, announced an increase in the allocation for Defence to US $31.9 billion as well as allocating US $12.9 billion for capital expenditure. Although India achieved independence through its policies of non- violence, circumstances and the changing world order have had an influence on the growth of the Indian Military. The Sino- Indian War of 1962 was seen as a catalyst in making defence a high priority between the 1960s and 1970s. Learning from its mistakes in the 1962 conflict, India successfully defeated Pakistan in the 1971 Indo- Pakistan War, thus establishing its military dominance in South Asia. Over the years India has demonstrated its military strength on a number of occasions. Apart from maintaining a large armed force, as of July 2010, India is also the third largest contributor of troops, after Pakistan and Bangladesh, to various UN Peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Cambodia, Yemen, Somalia, Rwanda, Namibia, Sinai Peninsula etc.
Adding to its military capacity, India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting its first nuclear test, ‘Operation Smiling Buddha’. Further underground testing was carried out in 1998, resulting in India declaring itself a nuclear weapons state.
Measuring a country’s status on the world stage in terms of its ‘soft power’ is equally important. It won’t be wrong to borrow Joseph Nye’s idea here. According to him, instead of relying solely on coercive use of military and economic right, a nation should also make use of its culture and ideology as well as work towards the propagation of its norms and values. Although both forms of power ride on the ability to influence, Joseph Nye clearly believes soft power is the ability to attract, eventually leading to acquiescence. Just how using its soft power is likely to help India gain an entry into the UNSC is discussed below.
Despite a shaky start, India, after becoming independent in 1947, embarked upon ambitious plans of industrial development, thus encouraging the setting up of new industries in addition to the expansion of existing ones, the government’s main concern being the protection of Indian industries. India is seen as one of those few countries which used its stringent import policies for the successful development of local industries. A few years after independence India was short on foreign exchange, as a result of which imports had to be restricted. This gave the government the opportunity to encourage indigenous production. This restriction on international trade enabled Indian industries to develop and grow, thus making them self sufficient. Local industries were also encouraged to get into foreign collaborations in order to understand the technicalities behind production. India’s policy of protectionism also involved imposing higher tariffs in order to restrict imports. Moreover a number of products were banned, providing a sheltered market for Indian goods and a number of industries thrived within these protective walls. Initially, products produced in India did not comply with international quality norms, however, over time Indian goods have found a secure place in the international market. During this period Indian industries also manufactured industrial machines making industries more independent. This brought about a new dimension to India’s industrial development.
Apart from manufacturing competitive goods, the Indian Information Technology Industry has also seen rapid growth since the mid 1990s. There is no denying that India has been recognized a technology superpower. A nation with such credential needs to be taken into serious consideration where membership of an international organisation is concerned. India’s success in software and high technology has given some real content to the relationship between the world’s oldest democracy (the United States of America) and the world’s largest democracy (India). It is not wrong to say India is now one of the most important Asian states and other nations’ policies need to accommodate themselves to this new reality. Like Japan and China, India is acquiring the capability to influence developments throughout much of Asia and other regions of the world.
When it comes to gauging a nation’s suitability in becoming an integral member of an international organisation, taking into consideration that nation’s economic standing in the global perspective is one of the most important factors. Although traces of the past autarkic economic policies are still visible, India is slowly developing into an open- market globalised economy. Given the size and versatility of the nation, India has a diverse economy which includes traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts and a wide range of modern industries as well as a multitude of other services.
During the global financial crisis in early 2008, India managed to come out unscathed because of cautious banking policies and its relatively lower dependence on international trade.
Few facts to consider:
- In 2009, India’s nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was US$1.243 trillion, making India the eleventh largest economy in the world
- In terms of its Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world at US$3.561 trillion
- India’s per capita income of US$3,100 is a very impressive figure
India has also laid a lot of emphasis on the development of the financial infrastructure of the nation. In order to provide the necessary financial infrastructure, the government set up a number of development banks. These development banks helped promote the growth of local industries. As a result of setting up development banks, India today boasts of strong banks and financial institutions, which have played a big role in the expansion of various industries.
India also generates soft power through its public diplomacy. India introduced its own ‘Public Diplomacy Division’ in 2006. The aim behind establishing a separate Public Diplomacy Division was to “educate and influence global and domestic opinion on key policy issues and project a better image of the country, commensurate with its rising international standing.” India’s Public Diplomacy Division is inspired by the United States State Department. The aim is to “sensitise and influence think tanks, universities, media and experts to create a more nuanced understanding of the government’s stance on tricky issues.” The establishment of this division coincides with India’s aspirations of becoming a permanent member of the UNSC. Through its public diplomacy programme, India has been successfully portraying itself as an emerging power in the global world.
Although not a big deciding factor, India’s recent entry to the elite currency club will make India’s case stronger. Introduction of an official symbol to represent the Indian Rupee has made India only the fifth currency, after the Euro, US Dollar, British Pound and the Japanese Yen, to have a symbol of its own. This is an important move in order to being seen as a global power.
India is fast emerging as a major centre for Research and Development projects for Indian businesses as well as global multinationals. A number of companies ranging from the field of Information Technology, Telecommunications, Pharmaceutical, Biotech etc. have and continue to set up Research and Development projects in India. The motive behind this is two- fold; one is to be able to serve the Indian market and also to introduce new products faster in the global market. India being a hub of R&D projects makes it more attractive when being considered as an emerging world power.
If India is given an opportunity to be a permanent member of the UNSC, other developing nations will have a representative (India) to voice their concerns. India’s position in the Indian Subcontinent will be strengthened with a permanent seat in Council.
India enjoys strong support from other nations, thus further strengthening its position. As a member of the Group of 4 (G4), India has the support of fellow members, Brazil, Germany and Japan. Other countries like Bangladesh, Chile, Australia and members of the African Union have also openly shown their support for India’s candidacy.
Given the various factors that work in India’s favour, the time has come for the world to take note of India’s credentials. The world’s largest democracy cannot be offered a raw deal when it comes to being a member of an international organisation. Justice needs to be done to such a huge population.
How many people are really interested in India – the geo-political entity? I have my own doubts on this. The Western world, so to speak, is however, interested in the hungry markets of India. They are more than keen on selling to ‘a billion consumers’. They are interested in having Indian talent on board to help manage their burgeoning global business enterprises. Given that Indians have proven themselves in the world economic arena and are a sought-after commodity, it is patently obvious that they will be in demand.
ReplyDeleteBut observe this pattern which has emerged over the last three years. Many First World nations are also evolving systematically pernicious ways to deny Indians work and student visas and permits. The politicians from the West (Whitehall or Capitol Hill notwithstanding) are more than keen to hawk their wares in the domestic Indian marketplace. Just how many are as enthusiastic in welcoming Indians as before, remains open to interpretation.
As for the mirage that is the UNSC permanent membership to India, that may well remain a pipedream. The US is very clear that an imbalance of power in the Indian sub-continent will surely throw its own plans out of gear. An increasingly assertive India will not only scuttle its plans to hold its sway over South Asia and Middle East, but also wane its influence on South East Asia, East Asia and surprisingly, even Africa. So anything that acts as a shot-in-the-arm for India won’t be encouraged.
Next, look at India’s rather unenviable neighbourhood: Up north, we have a forever hostile Pakistan, whose sheer survival and existential basis is Kashmir. Move a bit eastwards and you have China, which, for obvious reasons doesn’t want Indian plans to succeed. Both, China and Pakistan work hard to ensure that Indian influence doesn’t go beyond what it already is. Despite being a failed state and Osama bin Laden been having killed there, the US will do little to rein in Pakistan. Despite the recent rancour in their relationship, Pakistan is just too important for America’s Afghanistan and engage-China plans.
Bangladesh? It’s yet another sanctuary-in-the-making for Islamic terror. It also thrives greatly on state-sponsored Islamic donations from the Middle East, particularly from Saudi Arabia. It can’t even think of standing on its own.
As for Nepal, it’s already on its way to becoming a communist state. More reason for China to engage with it, on China’s own terms.
Burma or Myanmar, as it’s now called, is yet another failed state. With the military junta taking little cognisance of growing global disapproval of its ways, it only pays lip service to the world. By releasing an already weakened Aung San Suu Kyi. Or by installing a puppet government.
Already ravaged by the decades-old civil war and bitter from its past engagement with India (The 1987 IPKF misadventure cost India its erstwhile Premier) Sri Lanka is way too insignificant at the moment.
With such hostilities around, can India really make it past the finish line at the UNSC is anybody’s guess. Is there a way out of this? Yes. What is it? To develop innate self-respect, the kind of which, Israel commands. Like India, it also has a hostile neighbourhood. But its assertiveness, self-respect, confidence and immensely powerful military arsenal have all ensured that it is taken very seriously by the Western world.
Israel’s Operations Entebbe, Wrath of God and Spring of Youth are the stuff military legends are made of. Comparatively, how was India’s response to 26/11 or many other similar attacks? Amateurish.
A UNSC member has to command awesome economic, political and military respect. India may well DESIRE for a permanent seat at the UNSC. Does it DESERVE one? I feel it’s still some time away.