We live in a ‘curious world’ where one cannot view engagement with different parties as a ‘zero-sum game’. –          S. Jaishankar (India’s Foreign Minister)

What is Geopolitics?

Geopolitics is the use of diplomacy, military, economy, territory, and political influence in a particular region to get one’s interest served.

In International Relations, geopolitics is a method of studying foreign policy to understand, explain and predict international political behaviour through geographical variables. These variables include area studies, climate, topography, demography, natural resources, and applied science of the region being evaluated.

In this book, we will study International relations from the perspective of Diplomacy.

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states and managing international relations. This negotiation can happen at several levels:

1. Track 1 Diplomacy: Official discussions typically involving high-level political and military leaders and focusing on cease-fires, peace talks, treaties and other agreements. This can happen in any

Summit level diplomacy

Sometimes need arises for the issues to be resolved through personal talks between leaders. This is known as summit-level diplomacy.

2. Track 1.5 Diplomacy: a situation where official and non-official actors cooperate.
3. Track 2 Diplomacy: It involves Back-channel talks. It is the practice of “non-governmental, informal and unofficial contacts and activities between private citizens or groups of individuals, sometimes called ‘non-state actors’.
4. Track 3 Diplomacy: People-to-people diplomacy undertaken by individuals and private groups.

 

Strategic Communication:

Strategic communication is communication within an organisation to achieve its aim. It is the process of Policy-making and guidance for consistent information activity within an organization between organizations.

From a practical standpoint, if the vision of the highest-level leaders of your country is effectively communicated to the lowest level of diplomats, defence personnel, state government etc.

Aims of Diplomacy

The purpose of diplomacy is to strengthen the nation by advancing its interests. Diplomatic activity endeavours to maximize advantages without the risk and expense of using force and preferably without causing resentment.

“War is what happens when language fails” – Margret Atwood “Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.” – Mao Zedong

To maximise our interests, we might create partnerships.

Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy is the totality of actions of a state in furthering its interests. Our policy is influenced by several factors such as national interest, public opinion, ideological factors, historical factors, and India’s geography.

Phases of India’s Foreign Policy

India’s foreign policy has evolved over the years depending on its power, influence and changing strategic interests.

Before 1947, India’s foreign policy was run by the British Government in its own interest. After 1947, India made several aggressive moves in terms of foreign policy.

Phase 1: Era of Non-Alignment

Soon after the end of the World War, an era of bipolarity emerged in which the US and the USSR fought for supremacy. The world was aligned in the Western and the Eastern Blocks. The countries were forced to choose either of the two sides based on strategic calculations and ideological alignments.

In this era, India came up with the policy of non-alignment. It was a policy of not joining either of the Cold War camps. Instead, India created a third pole. This was done by creating a new organisation named the Non-Aligned Movement, for the countries with Independent foreign policy based on peaceful co-existence and non-alignment.

Problem with Non-Alignment Policy:

Not aligning with natural strategic partners is a practical blunder. It provided us with minor comforts but cost us the most when it mattered. India was practically without support in the Indo-China War of 1962.

India had to sign a friendship treaty for 20 years with Russia in Aug 1971, before launching an attack on East Pakistan due to the fear of American support of Pakistan.

On the hind side, India’s policy looked unprincipled; in the name of national interest, it could not take a firm stand on any crucial international issue.

Phase 2: Era of Regional Assertion (1971-1991)

In the last phase of the Cold War, India emerged as a regional power in South Asia. A host of factors lead to the rise in Indian Stature:

1. India’s victory in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, in which Pakistan was split into two.
2. India’s success in Operation Meghdoot (1984), in which India permanently occupied Siachin Glacier.
3. Although India’s mission against LTTE failed, it proved India’s influence in the region.

These successes were built upon the confidence of India’s friendship treaty with the USSR.

Phase 3: Policy of Strategic Independence (1991 till now)

The USSR was dissolved on 26^th December 1991. This event left India stranded all of a sudden and India had to find new partners and alliances. It took a series of steps to stabilise itself on the World Forum.

1. India looked for new partners in the neighbourhood. The SAARC mechanism that was made in 1985 was strengthened. India launched a Look East Policy to engage with the South East Asian countries which were recognised as important regional economies.
2. BIMSTEC was formed in 1997.
3. India also engaged with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the EU and Israel.
4. India stabilised its relationship with China by signing a border peace and tranquillity agreement in 1993.

Here, a watershed moment arrived in 1999 due to two consecutive events:

1. India’s Pokharan Nuclear test in 1998 led to sanctions from the Western world, i.e. Japan and the US.
2. Kargil war of 1999 when for the first time two declared Nuclear powers went to war with each other.

Here, further new steps were taken to engage with the world and establish India as a nuclear power with independent foreign policy.

1. Establishment of a New Relationship with Russia: India signed an Indo-Russia Special and Privileged Relationship Treaty in 2000.
2. Stabilisation of relationship with the US: India signed the Indo-US Nuclear deal in 2005, known as the 123 Agreement.
3. Positioning India in several International Institutions: BRICS was formed and strengthened as a counterforce against the US Hegemony.
4. Alienation of Pakistan: After the failure of the Kargil war, Pakistan used terrorism as a tool for low-intensity warfare, and tried to block any progress in the platforms like SAARC. India has thus started giving preference to BIMSTEC and tried to isolate Pakistan on other international forums.

With these arrangements, India placed itself in a comfortable position.

India’s Policy: With the above arrangements it is clear that:

1. Strategic Autonomy: India doesn’t view the world as bipolar, but as Multi-polar, in which India is a pole in itself. This means India would take an independent stance on all issues of the world.
2. Engagement with every world power: India would align with different world powers on different issues differently. For example, on trade-related issues, it may align with China, but on strategic issues, it may align with the US. In fact, India has a strategic partnership with every world power currently.

Strategic Partnership:

It is a long-term interaction between two countries based on political, economic, social and historical factors. This partnership manifests itself in a variety of relationships. India has SPs with more than 30 countries: the US, Russia, China, Japan, the UK, France, and Afghanistan. Even though not all are equally important. In some cases, the economic dimension is more important, than the security dimension.

3. Regional leader: India views itself as a leader in the region and is willing to engage with like-minded partners. We will also study in the later chapters that India views itself as the Net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Act East Policy (AEP)

The Act East Policy (AEP) was launched by PM Modi at the 12th India-ASEAN Summit, in 2014. It aims to highlight that the ASEAN have been given greater vigour and dynamism, to regain lost ground after directionless look east. This is especially important in the context of rapidly changing geopolitical realities, defined by the assertive rise of China.

Conclusion

In recent times, India has followed an aggressive Foreign Policy with a view of strategic independence in mind. We shall see the elements of these policies such as “Net Security Provider” in the IOR or the Act East policy in the coming chapters.