29 September 2022

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. What is the strategic importance of Indo – Pacific region to the world? Discuss.

Paper & Topic: GS II à International relations

Model Answer:

• The Indo Pacific region is a ten year old idea that has recently gained substantial currency. It is predicated on the knowledge that the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, despite their seeming divergence, actually form a connected strategic theatre with a single strategic heft.

How did the phrase “Indo Pacific” become popular?

• A region’s nations inevitably get together to discuss establishing a particular structure and order to guarantee peace and security.
• Similar to this, numerous nations have been referring to the Indo Pacific (I.P.) region in their official announcements.
• Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, stated that I.P. is one of the novel ideas and methods brought about by the changing nature of the world during his visit to Russia.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed I.P. as a shared future at the Shangri La summit in 2018.
• While meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need of preserving the freedom of navigation and the stability of the Internet.
• A “Track 1.5” dialogue centred on identifying security concerns and sustaining difficulties in the Indo Pacific was also held between Australia, France, and India.
• Track 1.5 dialogues are discussions in which experts from both the public and private sectors are present at the same table and contribute informally.
• The importance of the Indo Pacific region is increased by the existence of four major economies: the USA, China, Japan, and India.

What variations exist in the interpretation of the Indo-Pacific?

The Indo-Pacific (I.P.) is viewed differently by many nations. The interpretation can be broadly divided into three types:

• The Indian version sees I.P. as a welcoming environment for all stakeholders based on shared duties and objectives.
• India’s perspective on intellectual property also acknowledges a strategic connection regarding the shared opportunities and difficulties that the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean face.
• The US version applies a rules-based order to a free and open Internet protocol.
• It differs slightly from the Indian version in that it excludes any nation that doesn’t follow a set of regulations and established norms of behaviour.
• Additionally, the American form of I.P. only covers the region from the Pacific coast of America to the Bay of Bengal, whereas the Indian version covers the region all the way to the eastern African coast.
• There aren’t many nations that use this version.
• In contrast to the rules-based system imposed by the US and, to some extent, India, the third version is one that ASEAN interprets as a model based on consociation.
• A political structure known as a consociation is created when various, antagonistic social groups cooperate on the basis of power sharing.
• Instead of simply treating China like any other stakeholder, they call for practical cooperation with it.
• Many ASEAN nations are economically “bankrolled” (funded) by Chinese help, therefore they are compelled to maintain a neutral stance. China is also ASEAN’s biggest trading partner.
• Therefore, the ASEAN’s 2011 agreement’s vision of cooperative thinking is eroding.
• Regarding the Act East policy, India emphasises the centrality and significant role of ASEAN in the securitization of intellectual property. It is a response to the geopolitical constraint India shares with China and Pakistan on its northern and western borders.
• India is also exploring for ways to use ASEAN as a market for manufactured goods and a supply of raw materials.
• A third angle suggests that ASEAN is also aware of the necessity for India to counterbalance China, especially in light of the US disengagement from multilateral alliances.
• The Indian version is in the middle, with the US and ASEAN counterparts to its right and left, respectively.
• India is continuously working to strike a balance between the three narratives, and our relationship with France, Australia, Japan, etc. helps us do this.

Is the Indo-Pacific Region a Significant Shift in the Global Political Order?

• About 75 years had passed since the beginning of the USA-led international liberal system.
• When it comes to increases in commerce and investment, China is the order’s biggest winner.
• Up to the start of the Cold War, the Atlantic Ocean remained the centre of gravity for world politics and trade.
• Later, Asia Pacific took its place and was intended to exclude Indian interests, particularly against the backdrop of the Cold War.
• The liberal order is currently undergoing change as nations like the US view international politics differently.
• The shift of the international political centre of gravity toward Asia is seen as the result of the change from Asia Pacific to I.P.
• Additionally, it denotes a change in the Geopolitical fulcrum and the Power Balance.

Reasons for the change:

• To secure and uphold tranquilly and the rule of law in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, across which the majority of global trade passes. India supports this cause as well, but never makes a big deal out of it. India contends that nobody’s property or communication depends on the I.P. sea routes.
• The US is exhibiting a “withdrawal” attitude from multilateral alliances under the presidency of Donald Trump, alarmed its longtime friends including South Korea, Japan, and the ASEAN nations.
• China is becoming a more assertive actor, especially in light of the ASEAN nations’ shifting stances.

What are the tenets of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy?

• India’s approach to intellectual property can be summed up as “Open, Integrated, and Balanced.”
• Open: The I.P. is free of any hegemonic influence. It is a crucial element in the context of the Chinese PLA navy’s efforts to displace the overwhelming US presence in the area. Informally, China has taken control of both the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
• India wants to turn a “divided” area into one that is “integrated,” especially in the case of ASEAN. It serves as a deterrent to China’s divide-and-conquer strategy in ASEAN nations.
• Balanced: India bases its vision on a multipolar Asia and a multipolar globe (by cooperating with all nations) (consisting of India, China, ASEAN, Japan, Australia, etc.). No large state would control crucial trade and economic corridors in such a system.
• India supports regional democratisation as well. The area has changed from being an American lake to a Chinese power play in the previous 10–15 years.
• The US had to concede that the only way to get China out of the South China Sea was through war.
• The possibility of the area turning into a Chinese lake has increased due to the US’s inability to project power, retain coalitions, and forge partnerships.
• India’s strategy is to restore a more established order in the I.P., which is being shaken by Chinese assertiveness.

What do other major powers think of India’s plan for the Indo-Pacific?

• India is the main target of the nomenclature change from Asia Pacific to I.P.
• It demonstrates that the international community has begun to acknowledge India’s norms, prominence, and emergence as a significant force.
• Bill Clinton, the president of the United States at the time, predicted that, aside from the USA, India and China would rule the 21st century, based on the circumstances in India.
• With regard to military organisations, the US just renamed their Asia Pacific Command as Indo Pacific Command, which is a significant change.
• Despite the difficulties that any two large countries would face, India and US relations have shown encouraging improvement over the past 20 years. However, despite New Delhi’s continued attempts, a similar shift in the relationship between China and India did not take place.
• Some of the US’s long-standing friends are looking to India as a counterweight to the country’s withdrawal strategy. The US is looking for additional nations to shoulder part of its duties at the same time. For instance, discussions on the QUAD, a tacit agreement among the USA, India, Australia, and Japan
• Most regional powers, including the USA, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia, see the Indo-Pacific as essentially an addition of India to the Asia-Pacific.
• India is seen as an exception and the focus is solely on India’s contribution to maritime domain awareness in the Asia Pacific. For instance, the East and South China Seas.
• India is drawing attention to Chinese actions in the Indian Ocean region as well, but its perception of itself is centred on a single unified theatre of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

What dangers does China in the Indo-Pacific pose?

• China is a “power player” in world politics and poses a danger to the regional political system.
• China is making its presence felt in the I.P. by giving countries like Bangladesh, Thailand (three submarines), Myanmar, Sri Lanka (a frigate), etc. military weapons.
• China asserts that its rise is peaceful, but it does not address the worries of neighbouring nations that have arisen as a result of a lack of openness in its operations. Nobody can predict what China’s next move will be.
• As seen by the mounting indebtedness of the nations that received loans from China, the cultural concerns voiced by the residents of Hambantota in Sri Lanka (where China is sponsoring a strategically significant port), and the unauthorised entry into Myanmar, China is also accused of colonising the region.
• Chinese policy is known for its ambiguity and quick transitions between extremes, as evidenced by their catchphrase “Let a hundred flowers bloom” followed by a cultural revolution.
• Despite Philippine claims and a US diplomatic detour, China seized and walled the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in 2012. However, the Chinese held firm and continue to control the shoal, posing a hegemonic danger.

What other difficulties and dangers exist?

• P. challenges go beyond simply protecting trade channels from a particular country’s hegemony.
• The idea of I.P. is also fundamentally based on marine security and maritime domain awareness.
• Political language abounds that portrays the I.P. as an arc of prosperity where everyone can cooperate. Political attention is frequently diverted from the real concerns, such as rebutting Chinese assertions, in favour of such possibilities.
• India is striving to establish a multipolar world order and a coalition of like-minded nations to confront any potential opponents. However, a significant segment of the global society is opposed to the resolution because it has a cold war attitude (such as NATO and Warsaw pact).
• India also hopes for a regulated worldwide system. However, there are concerns about nations that defy the established order through the use of force and strength.

Q2. What are Partners in the Blue Pacific Initiative? Discuss.

Paper & Topic: GS II à International relations

Model Answer:

• A five-nation “informal framework,” the PBP aims to support Pacific islands and strengthen regional political and economic ties.
• It mentions fostering greater cooperation to increase “prosperity, resilience, and security” in the Pacific.
• In order to counter China’s assertive outreach, these nations will collectively and individually direct additional resources through the PBP into the Pacific Island Countries.
• Members of the project will build closer relations with the Pacific Islands Forum and “elevate Pacific regionalism” (PIF).

About the Pacific Island Forum:

• The region’s leading institution for establishing political and economic policies is the Pacific Islands Forum.
• It was established in 1971 and currently has 18 members: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.