Non Alignment 2.0
India has been criticized for not having a grand strategy for meeting the demands of an emerging world order. Therefore a group of prominent policy makers and analysts, supported by senior officials in the Govt of India have created a policy document called Non Alignment 2.0 which identifies the basic principles which should guide India’s strategic and foreign policy. The report has recommended the adoption of a new version of Non Alignment which should enhance the strategic autonomy of India, without aligning it with a specific nation or bloc of nations. India should enhance it strategic autonomy by pursuing a new version of Non Alignment.
Important features of the report
India must retain maximum strategic autonomy in order to enable it to pursue its developmental goals because it is unlikely that there will be enduring coalitions: these would require artful management.
Thus the report cautions India against having a close relationship with the US. Moreover a close relationship with the US will limit India’s freedom of action and provoke China against India. Moreover it doubts the reliability of American partnership in an event of conflict with China. Instead it advises India to play both China and US with aligning with them.
India's great advantage is that, barring in its immediate neighbourhood, it is not seen as a threatening power
Non Alignment 2.0 lays special emphasis on India’s economy. Proposing India’s reliance on strategic autonomy which is rooted in both internal and external strength- the report considers the proposition that external strength is rooted in the nation’s economic prowess.
Since its economic growth requires deepened economic engagement with the world, India must strive to maintain an open global order.
The report lays special emphasis in engaging with Asian nations, especially South Asia. Therefore the report looks at 3 different areas of Asia- South, East and West and discusses these three areas separately.
India must put in place operational concepts and capabilities to deter China since the latter will be a significant foreign policy and security challenge for it
The report surprisingly does not dwell too much on India’s relationship with the US. Indo-US relationship is only discussed within the realm of India’s economic growth and its relation with China. However no new paradigm of Indo-US relations has been explored by the report.
India should bolster its nuclear weapons capability, especially the maritime leg of the nuclear triad.
Criticism of the report
A major shortcoming in the report is its failure to clearly spell out a vision for what India should aspire to be and how precisely should these aspirations be realised.
The name non alignment is a misnomer because it was an appropriate doctrine for a world divided into 2 blocs. However with the changed global environment today, the conceptual validity of the report- which divided the world into blocs has been questioned by various analysts.
The report claims to represent a strategic consensus among India’s strategic thinkers and policy makers. However this point is debatable because the report seems more of an outcome of a centre-left deliberation and therefore does not represent a consensus.
The report is against an Indian military strategy based on deep penetration into Pakistani territory in the event of a war. Moreover it advocates non suspension of talks between India and Pakistan, even in the event of another 26/11 Mumbai style attacks.
The report advocates a ludicrous military strategy of countering China- creation of insurgencies by India in Chinese territories and providing covert support to separatist elements in China.
The report suffers from an unseemly fear of China and therefore advocates an equidistant relationship with both China and the US because close Indo-US ties could antagonize the DRAGON.
India’s core security interests like its territorial sovereignty is contested by China and not by the US. Moreover the US is more sympathetic to India’s cross border terrorism problem than China. Thus a close Indo-US relationship would be a better strategy to counter China than going all alone.
India has been criticized for not having a grand strategy for meeting the demands of an emerging world order. Therefore a group of prominent policy makers and analysts, supported by senior officials in the Govt of India have created a policy document called Non Alignment 2.0 which identifies the basic principles which should guide India’s strategic and foreign policy. The report has recommended the adoption of a new version of Non Alignment which should enhance the strategic autonomy of India, without aligning it with a specific nation or bloc of nations. India should enhance it strategic autonomy by pursuing a new version of Non Alignment.
Important features of the report
India must retain maximum strategic autonomy in order to enable it to pursue its developmental goals because it is unlikely that there will be enduring coalitions: these would require artful management.
Thus the report cautions India against having a close relationship with the US. Moreover a close relationship with the US will limit India’s freedom of action and provoke China against India. Moreover it doubts the reliability of American partnership in an event of conflict with China. Instead it advises India to play both China and US with aligning with them.
India's great advantage is that, barring in its immediate neighbourhood, it is not seen as a threatening power
Non Alignment 2.0 lays special emphasis on India’s economy. Proposing India’s reliance on strategic autonomy which is rooted in both internal and external strength- the report considers the proposition that external strength is rooted in the nation’s economic prowess.
Since its economic growth requires deepened economic engagement with the world, India must strive to maintain an open global order.
The report lays special emphasis in engaging with Asian nations, especially South Asia. Therefore the report looks at 3 different areas of Asia- South, East and West and discusses these three areas separately.
India must put in place operational concepts and capabilities to deter China since the latter will be a significant foreign policy and security challenge for it
The report surprisingly does not dwell too much on India’s relationship with the US. Indo-US relationship is only discussed within the realm of India’s economic growth and its relation with China. However no new paradigm of Indo-US relations has been explored by the report.
India should bolster its nuclear weapons capability, especially the maritime leg of the nuclear triad.
Criticism of the report
A major shortcoming in the report is its failure to clearly spell out a vision for what India should aspire to be and how precisely should these aspirations be realised.
The name non alignment is a misnomer because it was an appropriate doctrine for a world divided into 2 blocs. However with the changed global environment today, the conceptual validity of the report- which divided the world into blocs has been questioned by various analysts.
The report claims to represent a strategic consensus among India’s strategic thinkers and policy makers. However this point is debatable because the report seems more of an outcome of a centre-left deliberation and therefore does not represent a consensus.
The report is against an Indian military strategy based on deep penetration into Pakistani territory in the event of a war. Moreover it advocates non suspension of talks between India and Pakistan, even in the event of another 26/11 Mumbai style attacks.
The report advocates a ludicrous military strategy of countering China- creation of insurgencies by India in Chinese territories and providing covert support to separatist elements in China.
The report suffers from an unseemly fear of China and therefore advocates an equidistant relationship with both China and the US because close Indo-US ties could antagonize the DRAGON.
India’s core security interests like its territorial sovereignty is contested by China and not by the US. Moreover the US is more sympathetic to India’s cross border terrorism problem than China. Thus a close Indo-US relationship would be a better strategy to counter China than going all alone.
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