Countries of the Non-Aligned Movement. Light blue denotes countries with observer status. en.wikipedia.org.
by Saurabh Dalal 29 May 2021
Abstract:
NAM is a key pillar in India’s foreign policy. Although its role has been of a very passive nature since 1991, there are ample examples of its effective role in the current decade. In the current Israeli-Palestinian war, India has fully implemented this policy. But why is India applying this policy in its foreign policy? My article has tried to show that it is for one’s own interest or the pressure of the world’s great power.
Introduction:
After World War II, the whole world was divided into two power blocs. One is the socialist power alliance of the USSR, and the other is the capitalist power alliance of the USA. But some newly independent African and Asian countries did not join either side. They wanted to maintain a friendship with both sides to maintain their independence and sovereignty and develop themselves economically, which we usually know as a ‘Non-Aligned Movement.’ The path of this non-aligned movement began in 1947 with the ‘Asian Relations Conference’ in Delhi. But the collapse of the USSR in 1991 raised many questions about its relevance. The reason is that after the collapse of the USSR, many people agree that there is only one strong alliance in the world. But it is not true that in the 21st century, almost all the people of the world have come to realize that. Despite the collapse of the USSR, it isn’t brilliant to portray the USA as a powerful country in the multipolar world. The center of gravity of the present world is scattered in different places all over the world. And to add to that, the purpose of the Non-Aligned Movement is relevant enough now, and the examples that come up are world peace and security, anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, equitable world order, territorial integrity, and territorial integrity and sovereignty, development of third world countries, south-south cooperation, etc.
Indian strategy using NAM:
The first thing highlighted here is that India’s role as the founder of the ‘Non-Aligned Movement’ has not been so prominent in the last few years. But now India’s role in this ‘Non-Aligned Movement’ is quite eye-catching. India is a developing country; it wants to improve the country by establishing good relations with every country globally. India’s role in the present situation is similar to that of the Cold War. Although India is currently leaning towards the US, it is maintaining a good balance with Russia. India’s friendship with Russia is on an equal footing, despite the LEMOA, COMCASA, and BECA agreement with the United States. However, despite the growing atmosphere of friendship between Russia and China, India is a reliable friend, and they know it well. Russia and China have extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan to show some inclination towards India and America. In fact, Russia-China cannot accept India-Japan, Australia, and American power alliance ‘QUAD.’ Therefore, India has to take steps with sufficient understanding in this situation. A little wrong move could lead India to deviate from the norm of its non-aligned policy. India is currently a member of the QUAD, but it is still playing an equal role in BRICS, SCO, to escape China’s wrath or establish good relations with China. India has a neutral role in the Middle East, despite the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Despite India being a perfect friend of America, it does not say a word about China’s internal affairs, where Australia and America talk about China’s internal affairs. On the other hand, even though China has a border issue with Russia, the Indian government does not support Russia on that issue. India continues to play a silent role despite threats from China on issues ranging from friendly Bangladesh to Australia. The New Type of Cold War is seen where two power blogs one is China and the other is America. In such a scenario, India continues to try to strengthen its position in its foreign policy by applying the policy of non-alignment. India is well aware that speaking on behalf of any party in the world of ‘Complex Interdependence’ is detrimental to the welfare of the country’s people. Therefore, India has been adopting a moderate approach to the country’s development by reviving its non-aligned policy in its foreign policy.
Balancing Act:
An important event in the world today is the war between Israel and Palestine. After 11 days, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the two sides on May 21, 2021. The history of the war between the two countries is ancient. These two states are critical to India. Although India has supported Palestine since independence, it has also supported Israel since then. In 1948 India was the only Non-Arab state among 13 countries that voted against the UN partition plan of Palestine in the General Assembly that led to Israel’s creation. India’s full support to Palestine in later years. At the 53rd UN session, India co-sponsored the draft resolution on the right of Palestine to self-determination, and in the 1967 and 1973 wars, India lashed out at Israel as the aggressor. After the 1970s, India rallied behind the PLO and its leader Yasser Arafat as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1975, India became the first Non-Arab country to recognize the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestine people, and India was invited to open an office in Delhi. This was accorded diplomatic status five years later. In 1988 when the PLO declared an independent state of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem, India granted recognition immediately, and Arafat was received as head of state whenever he visited India.
On the other hand, India fully recognized Israel as a state on September 17, 1950. Still, Israel’s diplomatic relations with India began in 1992, and balancing began with India’s decision to normalize ties with Israel in 1992. This came against the backdrop of the break-up of the Soviet Union and massive shifts in geopolitics of West Asia on account of the first Gulf War in 1990. That year, the PLO lost most of its clout in the Arab world by siding with Iraq and Saddam Hussain in the occupation of Kuwait. The opening of an Indian embassy in Tel Aviv in January 1992 marked an end to four decades of giving Israel the cold shoulder. In 1996, India opened a representative office in Gaza, which later moved to Ramallah as the Palestinian movement split between the Hamas and PLO. After that, New Delhi remained firmly on the side of the PLO, which was seen a ready for a political solution and had accepted the two-state solution. India voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution in October 2003 against Israel’s constitution of a separation wall. It voted for Palestine to become a full member of UNESCO in 2011. India also supported the installation of the Palestine flag on the UN premises in September 2015. For two and a half decades from 1992, the India-Israel relationship continued to grow, mostly through defense deals and in sectors such as science and technology, agriculture, cybersecurity, water management. But India never acknowledged the relationship fully. In 1997, two years before the Kargil war, India had signed a contract for the Israeli pods. Fifteen were to be procured for Jaguar aircraft, and five were meant for the Mirage Squadrons. These were to be used in conjunction with the US-supplied pave way laser-guided bomb kit and US sanctions following the Pokhran nuclear test in 1998. India never received the fuses it needed to make the pave way bombs work. But we were received Israeli help. Israel also sided with India when terrorists attacked Pulwama on February 14, 2019. When the Research & analyzing Wing was founded in September 1968 by Rameshwar Nath Rao, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was advised to cultivate links with Massad. This was suggested as a countermeasure to military links between Pakistan and China, and North Korea. In 2000, L K Advani became the first Indian minister to visit Israel, and in the same year, Jaswant Singh visited as a Foreign Minister. In 2003, Ariel Sharon became the 1st Israelis prime minister to visit India. During the UPA’s 10 years in office, the balancing act intensified, and Muhammad Abbas, head of the Palestine Authority that administers the West Bank, visited in 2005,08,10 and 12. During NDA -2, the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to take full membership of ownership of the relationship with Israel. The first indication of the new phase came with an abstention by India’s at the UN Human Rights Council on a resolution welcoming report by the HRC high commissioner. The report said it had evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israeli forces and Hamas during the 2014 airstrike against Gaza that killed over 2000. The abstention was conspicuous because, in 2014, India had voted for the resolution through which the UNHRC inquiry was set up. In 2016, India abstained again on a UNHRC resolution against Israel. But the big change was the status of the historic city that both Israel & Palestine claim. A visit by PLO chief m. Abbas in 2017 became the occasion for New Delhi to signal the substantive shift. Until then, in various statements, with its expression of support for a two-state solution, India had always included a line in support of east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestine state. The reference to East Jerusalem went missing in Modi’s statement during Abbas’s visit. After that, Pranab Mukherjee, who in 2015 became the first Indian president to visit Israel, first stopped at Ramallah. In February 2018, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel. But his itinerary did not include Ramallah. Actually, India had ‘de-hyphenated’ the Israel Palestine relationship and would deal with it separately.
India’s Interest:
Although Israel has good relations with India, India’s foreign policy is more or less inclined towards Palestine. And there are strong reasons for that. Because India knows that Palestine is a crucial state to India, India’s economy will suffer a lot if Palestine gets out of hand. Because Palestine is a Muslim-majority state, all Muslim countries in the world support it. The OIC is made up of 57 Muslim-majority states worldwide that have always been on the side of Palestine. All the states of the Arab world are still on the side of Palestine as they have always been. About 7 million people in India depend on these Gulf countries for employment. India is heavily dependent on these Arab countries, mainly for oil and natural gas. Also, strategically the Middle East is essential to India. Iran is one of the most important countries in the Middle East, with which India’s diplomatic relations are currently fluctuating. India wants to implement its plan for the International North-South Transport Corridor through the Iranian port of Chabahar and establish good relations with Central Asia. If India does not support Palestine, then India’s economy will be ruined, and it will be isolated from the Muslim world. On the other hand, if India openly supports Israel, then Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir will be lost. In addition to this, the Chinese-occupied Indian Territory ‘Aksai chin’ will be lost to India. The Indian government cannot question Tibet’s issues since 1959 and China’s rise in the South China Sea. The Government of India is well aware that OIC country assistance is essential for future membership of the UNSC. Out of the 196 countries in the world that need the support of 130 countries, it would be almost impossible for India to get permanent membership if 57 countries were left out.
Therefore, India has been fully implementing the policy of non-alignment in its foreign policy without taking the side of any state. On the one hand, fast-world countries like Europe, including the United States, are on Israel’s side. On the other hand, the OIC, a power alliance like China and Russia, has sided with Palestine. It is as if the two sides are fighting for the existence of religion. Just as the United States wants to occupy the Middle East through Israel, the OIC countries want to prove their religious alliance. In the present situation, a new kind of cold war is being witnessed between the two alliances. India continues to pursue its own interests by taking the opportunity to regenerate NAM in its foreign policy.
Conclusion:
International system one very acceptable thing is ‘No Permanent Enemy No Permanent Friend Only Permanent Interest.’ Today’s India is moving in that direction. The situation is much worse than in other countries due to the second wave of the present pandemic in India in the Covid-19 situation. People are dying day by day due to a lack of proper infrastructure. At this moment, the Indian government should protect the lives of the people inside the country and maintain its position in the international arena. Due to India’s medical diplomacy, help comes from different parts of the world in this difficult situation. The whole world continues to help us in various ways, and it’s possible because of NAM. Because if India were on the side of anyone’s power, we might not get the help we need from all sides. And here is the success of NAM.