Global Superpower Ambition of India & the Opportunities

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Theme : International Relations

Paper:GS-2

The new year is  going to provide India with the opportunity to fulfill its world power ambition. However, opportunities come with challenges.

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Context
2. Situation of India in Global Politics
3. Shift in the India’s Approach
4. New Avenues for India

Context : The new year is  going to provide India with the opportunity to fulfill its world power ambition. However, opportunities come with challenges.

Situation of India in Global Politics : 

• India is not new to playing a proactive role in world politics: Right from Independence, India’s leadership had actively pursued an agenda that favored the interests of developing or less developed countries.
• India took a firm stand against the domination of developed countries: Whether it was the GATT negotiations or the Non-Proliferation Treaty, India took a principled stand and stood up to the policy domination of the developed world.
• India as a protector of the developing world: India’s role as the protector of the interests of the developing world during WTO negotiations has been significant.
• For instance: Murasoli Maran, as the Minister of Commerce in the Vajpayee government, played a very critical role in preventing developed countries from pushing through their trade and commercial agendas. The UPA government continued that approach, inviting opprobrium and occasional isolation from the interested players. However, that didn’t deter India from opposing agendas that were seen as against the interests of not only its people but also the larger developing world.
• India added a moral dimension to the developing world but was seen as obstructionist: India’s significant contribution in all these fora was that it added a moral dimension to the developed world’s monetary vision. However, India, in the process, acquired the image of being a nay-sayer and obstructionist.

Shift in the India’s Approach : 

• Stated playing proactive role: While standing up for the developing world and zealously upholding its strategic autonomy, India started playing a proactive role in finding solutions.
• Paris climate summit provided a major opportunity: The Paris Climate Summit in 2015 provided the first major opportunity for India to highlight its new priorities. It played a pivotal role in clinching the climate deal while ensuring that the interests of the developing world are not compromised.

New Avenues for India : 

• Stronger ties with African nations: The India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), started in 2008 as a triennial event by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met for the third time in 2015 in Delhi. PM Modi took a special interest in cultivating stronger ties with African nations which led to the highest-ever participation in the Summit. It is important to revive the process.
• India’s crucial role in Russia-Ukraine war: At the Bali G20 Summit, India played a crucial role in ensuring that both Russia and its critics like the US had their say on the Russia-Ukraine war in a dignified way without being interrupted. On its part, India conveyed to the Russian leadership that it was not a time for war. The new year will bring an opportunity before India to play a role in ending the war.
• Opportunity to set a new agenda for global public good: As G20 chair, India has the opportunity to set a new agenda before the world’s most powerful bloc of nations. In the past, it always worked for the judicious sharing of global public goods. It is time now to undertake similar efforts for global digital and genetic goods.

FAQs : 

1. State the Shift in India’s Approach?

ANS. 

• Stated playing proactive role: While standing up for the developing world and zealously upholding its strategic autonomy, India started playing a proactive role in finding solutions.
• Paris climate summit provided a major opportunity: The Paris Climate Summit in 2015 provided the first major opportunity for India to highlight its new priorities. It played a pivotal role in clinching the climate deal while ensuring that the interests of the developing world are not compromised.

2. What is the crucial Role of India in the Russia-Ukraine crisis?

ANS. At the Bali G20 Summit, India played a crucial role in ensuring that both Russia and its critics like the US had their say on the Russia-Ukraine war in a dignified way without being interrupted. On its part, India conveyed to the Russian leadership that it was not a time for war. The new year will bring an opportunity before India to play a role in ending the war.