Eyeing A Strategic Leadership Role In Asia

Context: India is facing many challenges to fulfil its aspiration for a strategic leadership role in Asia.

India – A natural contender for pole position in Asia

• Pivotal in Asia with its geostrategic location, the size of its landmass and population.
• Booming economy: which is the 6^th largest by nominal GDP.
• Second largest standing armed forces which have played a lead role in UN missions globally.
• Largest democracy in the world.
• Effective response towards scourge of the Covid pandemic that includes:
  • Achieving daily vaccination targets of magnitudes in excess of entire population of some countries.
  • Supplying vaccines to many nations.

Challenges before India’s Asian aspirations

• Hostile Neighbours such as Pakistan (which supports cross border militant terrorism) and China (whose quest for superpower status is based on regional domination) is creating problems for India in the region.
• Scepticism towards International alliance system due to over-reliance on non-alignment principles.
• Failure of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) due to the adversarial relationship between India and Pakistan.
• Limited benefits of Strategic partnerships with Western nations due to past experience of reluctance or even denial in sharing niche technology these countries.
  • Quad does not offer any help for our immediate security concerns.
  • Formation of AUKUS diminished alliance role in future.

Way Forward: India needs to align with partners who have similar strategic interests in Asia vis-à-vis China such as Vietnam, Indonesia & Myanmar.

• Vietnam: Only country besides India which has had a direct armed conflict with China & successfully tackled U.S. & France.
  • Appears circumspect of Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI).
  • Due to the large gamut of bilateral cooperation, India-Vietnam relation is warm with ample scope for further enhancement.
• Indonesia:  Major country in the Indo-Pacific region, with a maritime stake in the South China Sea (SCS), though it has downplayed its differences with China.
  • However, being part of the ASEAN, it will remain involved in the SCS dispute.
• Myanmar: India needs to deepen its relationship with Myanmar, given its geographical location in the context of China.