Harsha Kakar
There is no denying the fact that without a strong military and economic base, a nation’s diplomacy is limited. Economic growth is dependent on national security, which apart from securing a nation’s borders also enables economic development. The last few years has witnessed an Indian era. Currently, India is the country in global demand, whether it be economic cooperation, military alliances, diplomatic engagement or even supply of medicines. Every global leader seeks to visit India and sign cooperation agreements. The reason for the rise of India has been that the nation has throughout its history lived under the threat of two belligerent and nuclear-powered neighbours and hence has been compelled to ensure growth to support a strong military.
Normally nations either grow alongside their neighbours, as is the case in North America or the European Union or despite their neighbours. For India, the option has been despite its neighbours. It had no choice but to grow, strengthen itselfmilitarily and economically or perish. Without a sound economic growth, financing modernization of its military power would not be possible. Without requisite military power, diplomatic leverage would be constricted. This would also impact its relations with its immediate neighbours who bank on Indian economic largesse and diplomatic support.
The nations which have inadvertently influenced Indian rise as a global power are Pakistan and China. India had to deal with each independently as also their possible collusion. While, India employs diplomacy to avoid a two-front conflict, it is aware that the sword of a two-front conflict is permanently hanging. Hence, India was compelled to invest in enhancing military hardware from multiple sources, while it sought to enable growth of its domestic industry.
India-Pakistan relations have never witnessed any upward swing. There have only been lows and even more lows. No attempt at talks have ever been successful, as the power behind the throne, the Pak army, never desired it. For a long time, India was economically struggling, while Pak was growing with international support.
Pakistan’s change of policy towards Islamization and employing terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy changed the scenario. India reversed the trend by opening its economy. Currently, while India grows, Pak sinks deeper into the abyss of debt and internal radicalization. Its current spending of 20% of national expenditure on defence is moving it into a debt trap. Increased radicalization within, an army dominated polity and insecure internal and external environment has prevented inflow of funds and technology for development into Pakistan.Its only saving grace is support from China in every sphere.
Pak continued with its terrorist activities on Indian soil and suppressed Indian counteractions employing its nuclear card, which was smashed by the Balakote strike.Post the strike, India has been accepted as a nation which will not succumb to pressure and hit back at those who attempt to damage it, while Pakistan has been dubbed as a nation which will hide truth, its losses and is hence untrustworthy.
The fact that India was recently elected to the UN security council,as a non-permanent member, with 184 out of 192 votes displays its global respect. Khawaja Asif, a former minister in Pakistan, commented on it on the floor of the Pak senate. He stated, ‘It is not a big deal to become a non-permanent member of the UNSC. However, to win by 184 votes out of a total of 192 votes is a big deal. Our so-called brother nations have voted for India.’He added that while Indian diplomacy was succeeding, Pak’s was failing. Indian standing has risen to the level that nations which generally supported Pakistan have changed their views. Pakistan is now the global pariah.
China, despite all outward display of bonhomie, multiple Wuhan’s and Chennai’s, will always consider India as an adversary,not just an economic competitor. It has always sought to coerce India by military pressure, seeking economic and diplomatic concessions, while denying the same in return. It has attempted to limit Indian military alliances, hoping to continue projecting its image as the dominant power in Asia.
Its rapid economic rise enabling enhancing military capabilities gave it a false sense of power which it sought to push on its neighbours in specific, and Asia in general. Thus, it began claiming areas and territory which did not belong to it, forcing weaker neighbours into submission. India was a nation which stood in its path. China knew that the only nation, which could counter its supremacy in Asia, is India. It also realised after the spread of the pandemic, that while it was losing credibility and allies, India was gaining. Thus, India had to be shown its place.
The perception within the Chinese leadership was that if it could suppress India, others in South Asia would toe the Chinese line and it would relieve Indian pressure on Pak. This could enable dividing the globe into regions of Chinese and US influence easier. It was seeking to enforce this Chinese dream that it launched its intrusion actions in Eastern Ladakh.
Indian counter measures, strong retaliation at Galwan, and an unwillingness to back down to Chinese pressures, came as a setback. The breaking of the myth of the PLA, fear of announcing its high casualty figures and a realization that India will never allow it to push forward its fake territorial claims, even if it threatened a conflict, changed Chinese perceptions. It was China which approached India to raise the level of talks to those of Special Representatives.
India challenged China in every sphere, limiting its actions. Diplomatic pressure put paid to Chinese attempts to expand the conflict. Economic actions implied that India is unwilling to buckle. Militarily, the message was clear, India will not accept any change to the alignment of the LAC. Finally, India conveyed that there would no longer be any Wuhan’s or Chennai’s in vicinity.
Indian stand and strong countermeasures have been observed globally. India has faced the global bully and refused to buckle. It has displayed its determination to hold onto what it considers as its own territory. This has changed global perception of India.
If India did not have hostile neighbours who sought its territory, it would never have been compelled to create a force capable of withstanding Chinese pressures. Its global standing too would have been equally low. It should thank China and Pakistan for having pushed it to be a global power with their hostile intents.
The author is Major General (Retd)
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