A Role for India in a World Wide Web
Context:
- In a time when the globe no longer presents a “optimistic image,” the recent claim made by the External Affairs Minister that India may play a “stabilising” and “bridging” role is intriguing. In terms of politics, he claimed that India could “assist de-risk the global economy” and “in some small manner, assist depolarize the world.”
The region is represented by India in international fora:
- “I think those are actually expectations that many other countries, particularly those in the global south, have of us,” Mr. Jaishankar said. We will strive to help where we can as we continue to communicate with all of the world’s poorest nations. Countries wanted to interact with us because they thought we had connections and could affect (global) thought in ways that might not be possible for everyone.
An outdated belief:
- The concept of “global leadership” is outdated in any case. What distinguishes a nation as a world power? Is it population, in which case India is predicted to pass China and grab the top spot next year as the world’s most populous nation?
- – Is it nuclear capability—India has the fourth-strongest army in the world—or India’s military power, which was made public in 1998 and then legally acknowledged in the India-U.S. nuclear accord a few years later?
- – Is it a growth in the economy? India has recently made great progress in this area; it is currently the third largest economy in the world in terms of PPP (purchasing-power parity) and is constantly growing. Nevertheless, too many of our people still live in poverty, misery, and a state of devastation.
Indian position in an increasingly interconnected world:
- It is odd that despite our ongoing struggles to feed, educate, and employ our whole population, so many people still view India as a major power in the twenty-first century. Therefore, the position of our country in the world of the twenty-first century will not be primarily determined by economic growth, military prowess, or demographic trends. Instead, how a nation responds to the new, interconnected global landscape and changes in the norms of international trade will determine its future position and direction.
- India, for instance, should actively participate in a world where the idea of “superpowers” or “great powers” exercising “global leadership” has been replaced by the idea of becoming one.
That’s not how foreign policy works at all:
- Binary systems from the Cold War era are obsolete and of little use now. Additionally, the significance of the difference between domestic and foreign issues is fading. Foreign policy increasingly affects not just other countries but also our own country, not just them.
- Promoting the security and well-being of one’s own inhabitants should be the overarching objective of every nation’s foreign policy. We desire a tranquil, secure environment that will foster our development and overall wellbeing while protecting us from threats and leaving our doors open to new opportunities.
- In the world we live in, foreign policy cannot be summed up by one paradigm. While one of the two superpowers stands on our borders and begins to nibble at our territory, we cannot simply declare our non-alignment. We also cannot afford to give up our strategic autonomy in order to defend ourselves. A new sense of self that is based on our worldview is what we need to create.
The usage of Internet:
- The World Wide Web serves as a metaphor for the modern, interconnected world (WWW). We will have to traverse several networks in this more networked environment, some of which may overlap and share members while others may be different. However, each one advances our interests in their own unique way and with various objectives.
- Our country’s external affairs minister welcomes Brazil and South Africa to the BRICS, but excludes China and Russia from the IBSA for South-South Cooperation. He also maintains China’s membership in BASIC for environmental negotiations while excluding Russia, and he holds annual meetings with counterparts from China and Russia in the trilateral RIC.
Several additional inconsistencies:
- This kind of internet-based networking mimics a number of irregularities found in our surroundings. Due to its colonial past and the 75 years it has spent coexisting as a democracy with many of the nations it criticises, India is a member of both the non-aligned movement (NAM) and the community of democracies.
- India is the best example of both the G-20 global macroeconomic “management” and the G-77 (Group of 77), a global “trade union” made up of 120 underprivileged countries (Group of 20 developed and developing countries whose presidency India has just assumed).
- India has a sizable presence in the United Nations, a supranational organisation with 193 members, as well as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which only represents India’s seven neighbours.
- We have the incredible ability to engage in all of these fantastic institutional networks, pursuing a variety of objectives with a variety of partners, and successfully matching ourselves with each of their legitimate purposes. From non-alignment to multi-alignment, India has advanced.
Conclusion:
- Because they are aware that no one will ever attempt to undermine their sovereignty, India and the majority of other nations can now take it for granted. There is no longer a struggle to uphold our strategic independence since it is a given. We can now shift from a post-colonial concern with self-preservation to a new role engaging in the development of international laws and even having a role in their enforcement. We can shift from concentrating only on our own sovereign autonomy to acting responsibly on the global stage.
