Opinion Paper – A 22911

India as a Global Security Actor

India has travelled a long way since her independence in 1947 and is gradually assuming the
status of an ‘emerging power’. Despite several challenges from within her polity arising from her
unique character as a sub continental, multilingual entity, which has at times sought to severely
constrain her abilities, India has managed to exhibit her prowess in terms of nuclear as well as
military capabilities while exercising restraint when required. In her quest to become a global
power, India has always sought to make security a priority; at home, at close quarters and
beyond, which has influenced her agenda in the global order. This essay will accordingly seek
to provide a review of the article India as a Global Security Actor by Jivanta Schottli and
Markus Pauli.
In order to understand the factors that bolstered India’s rise as a global international security
actor it is necessary to analyze the basic objectives of India’s foreign policy as stated in the
article. It can be said that with certainty that certain basic principles of the Indian foreign policy,
have remain unchanged overtime and constitute the pillars of India’s foreign policy. These basic
principles can be outlined as follows.
A cardinal principle of the Indian foreign policy is Panchasheel or peaceful coexistence which
has been instrumental in guiding biliteral relations with India’s neighbors as well as other
members of the international community. This was clearly explicated with the implementation of
the Gujral Doctrine where unilateral concessions were made to the neighboring countries with
regard to trade and travel without expecting reciprocity.
Another would be the principle of non-alignment, whose chief architect was Prime Minister
Jawahar Lal Nehru, who had an ardent desire to keep India out of ‘entangling alliances’ in order
to consolidate the Independence that India had achieved after years of struggle and ensuring
peace and economic development. It is one that which gained significant impetus with the
outbreak of the Cold War.
The aforesaid two concepts appear to be contemporarily relevant in directing India’s foreign
policy in the 21st century. The policy of non-alignment in particular, transcending beyond the
ambits of the Cold War, has sought to significantly influence India’s security agenda in the
international arena albeit in a newly reformed manner. The article cites the document titled ‘non-
Alignment 2.0’ published in 2012; coined a ‘reworking’ of the fundamental principle of non-
alignment to ‘guiding India’s foreign and strategic policy.’ Interesting is how the new version of
non-alignment seeks to recognize the mutually enforcing nature of development and security.
Economic and social development is in fact recognized as factors strengthening security,
whereas, from a development perspective, security may also increase the chances for
development. The nexus between development and security has been recognized as
‘securitization of development’, whereby development is recognized for its impact on security.
The latter is closely related to the concept of securitization. For Buzan and Hansen,
‘securitization’ refers to ‘the process of presenting an issue in security terms’ (Buzan & Hansen,
2009). Securitization takes place when actors address an issue as a security issue and when this
move is accepted (Buzan et al 1998). In this way, securitization can imply that poverty and
structural underdevelopment are perceived as existential threats or that development is linked to
other issues such as inter- and intra-state conflict, state failure or organized crime and that
therefore by securitizing development this would inevitably result in not only compelling a state
to focus inwardly but also the beyond in alleviating the aforesaid existential threats which would
pose a threat to the state’s national security. Security-development relationship which is seen as
‘securitization of development’ is often validated by the foreign aid policies adopted by the
countries of the developed part of the world. The article accordingly recognizes that that
utilization of such a concept would be advantageous to enhance India’s strategic space and
capacity for independent action which in turn would yield avenues to maximize its own internal
development. In light of this how has India sought to conceptualize its national security
objectives?
To ensure a secure and stable India that can guarantee safety and prosperity to its people, its
national security objectives could be defined as: protecting India’s national sovereignty; securing
the territorial integrity of India; ensuring a peaceful internal environment within India ; creating a
climate for its citizens that is just, equitable, prosperous, and shields them from risks to life and
livelihood ; ensuring a peaceful internal environment within India ; promoting India’s rise to its
rightful place in international affairs. Flowing from these objectives are the tenets of India’s
Security Strategy. Raja C. Mohan accordingly argues that Indian national security objectives,
and foreign policy more broadly, is best conceptualized as three concentric circles consisting of
the immediate South Asian “neighborhood,” the “extended neighborhood” and finally, the global
stage. As of recent times Indian policy makers appear to pay quite an emphasis on the global
aspect of India’s security strategy. In lieu of this India appears to have taken the lesson on its
reformed notion of non-alignment to heart as it builds its capabilities to protect its maritime trade
and energy supply routes, and to assert a nebulous claim to global leadership.
Interesting is how India has begun to extend a sustained policy focus on the Indo–Pacific region,
from the Persian Gulf and East Africa to East Asia; due to growth of greater national power
which has allowed India to expand its strategic horizons. For this purpose India has not only
sought to consolidate relations with strategic allies by means of hard power ; improving its naval
capabilities through strategic exercises, relief operations etc.-the USA being India’s chief
defense partner but also through diplomatic initiatives utilizing both bilateral mechanisms in the
neighborhood ; for example the Sri Lanka–India Free Trade Agreement and its attempts to
integrate Afghanistan in to the South Asian region through trade and transport, and beyond her
immediate neighborhood ; for example the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
signed between South Korea and Japan and also though multilateral platforms such as the
ASEAN and multilateral cooperation with the G4 states. These strategies have undoubtedly
bolstered India to occupy a central position within the current global order whilst yielding
opportunities to boost development within her borders thus establishing a relatively peaceful
environment internally and protecting her territorial integrity.
However, the authors of the article appear to profess a degree of wariness as to India’s growing
prominence in the global order due to the latter’s controversial stance on disarmament and
human rights compounded by the refusal to ratify the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty with regard to disarmament and the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court and concern as to the effectiveness of the developmental policies
being implemented.
In conclusion nevertheless it can be said that no strategy comes without risks and uncertainties
and the challenge therefore on the part of India is to identify those gaps and make due – by
ensuring that needs at home are met so as to establish a stable base upon which it can project its
security agenda globally.