Extended Abstract
Over the past decade or two, it has often been argued that the center of gravity of power has shifted from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In political-security literature, this development is a kind of geopolitical change. Therefore, both the cause of the change and the consequences of the change can be very important. For example, the reason for the change could be a reduction in the security puzzle in the Atlantic Ocean and, conversely, an intensification of the security puzzle in the Pacific. The consequences of this change can be many, complex and even dangerous. One of the consequences of this change is the formation of two geopolitical axes in the Asian region, which can be said to be almost as important as the eastern and western axes during the Cold War and perhaps even more so. The two axes are Indo-Pacific with a focus on the United States and India and Asia-Pacific with a focus on China and Pakistan.
Introduction
The question is, what is India's foreign policy orientation in the Indo-Pacific area and what factors influence this orientation? The hypothesis of the paper is that India's foreign policy in Indo-Pacific follows a "counterbalance strategy" and is due in part to the particular sensitivities of the Indo-Pacific region to India's interests.
Methodology
The present article is considered as a development research in terms of type and purpose. The method of the article is descriptive-analytical.
Results and Discussions
India has to strike a balance between a range of interests and considerations in the Indo-Pacific area, and doing so has left Indian politicians with a complex dilemma. On the other hand, China's growing growth, with the Belt-Road Initiative actually designing a new regional and international order map, worries New Delhi and pushes it to play a role in Indo-Pacific geopolitical architecture. Has forced. On the other hand, India fears that its entry into alliances and alliances against China will provoke the country's sensitivity and force Beijing to create problems for India. So India is trying to behave in such a way that while creating strategic restrictions for China, it will prevent Jane from confronting India in various forms.
The Indo-Pacific idea is essentially an American idea for the discipline and geopolitical architecture of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. The origin of this idea is the reduction of threats in the Atlantic Ocean and the increase in threats in the Indo-Pacific area. In other words, the US move from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Indian Ocean is precisely because the Soviet Union collapsed as a rival to the United States, and China emerged as a new rival challenging the hegemonic position of the United States. The theoretical significance of this geopolitical shift is that no geopolitical change occurs without considering the reduction or increase of power in different parts of the world.
In this sense, China's growing power has given it a more prominent role in the world, and in the United States it has been translated as China's attempt to become a hegemonic power and overthrow the hegemonic position. Under such circumstances, hegemonic power has to deal with four types of emerging power: engaging in emerging power through war, limiting emerging power through containment policy, accepting emerging power, and cooperating in the management of world affairs. , Giving in to the shift of power in the international system.
Among the four options, the United States appears to be putting an end to emerging power. Security-political axes such as the Washington-Seoul axis, Washington-Tokyo, Washington-Taipei and triangles such as the Washington-Taipei-Tokyo triangle, and Washington-Seoul-Tokyo, and squares such as the United States-Australia-India-Japan It is one of the initiatives that the United States has taken to limit China.
There is no doubt that India alone, and within the framework of the alliances and alliances it has made with the United States, is a very important weight in balancing China with the United States within the framework of the China Restriction Project. From this point of view, India, due to its previous differences and pessimism, has the necessary motivation to balance itself with China, and this is pursued both by increasing its power and by allying with others. The "policy of the Indian Ocean", the "policy of action in the East" that has evolved into Indo-Pacific today, and the "policy of cooperation with the United States" can be assessed in exactly this context.
Despite the fact that India is very concerned about China's growth, the problem is that India is reluctant to act in a way that provokes China's sensitivity. For this reason, it seems that India intends to act in such a way that it does not suffer the least damage from China while pursuing its goals and plans. That's exactly what the "China Confidence Strategy" is all about.
Conclusion
Based on this, the term "elusive balance" can be used to describe India's behavior in Indo-Pacific. The term is often used to describe the behavior of countries that want to take advantage of all opportunities with the least threats, even in a complex strategic environment. From this perspective, India has to balance its behavior with the United States in order to maintain the support of this hegemonic power. At the same time, India needs to attract the attention of Southeast and East Asian countries, and one way to do that is to point the finger at a common threat, China. At the same time, New Delhi has tried to maintain a balanced relationship with neighboring countries with its "first-class" policy. And it has, as has been said, pursued a "reassuring strategy for China" towards Beijing. Thus, it seems that New Delhi must be very delicate in order to play a role in the Indo-Pacific area, as if it wants to move on the edge of a razor. |
- Tellis, Ashley J. 2015, Unity in difference: overcoming the US–India difference(Washington DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2015), p. 25.
- Brewster, David, 2009, ‘India's security partnership with Singapore’, The Pacific Review, 22: 5.
- Burns, Nicholas, 2016, ‘Our next president must maintain America’s strong partnership with India,’ The Washington Post, June 3, 2016, Available at :https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/our-next-president-must-maintain-americas-strong-partner ship-with-india/2016/06/03/7d68184a-2834-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html.
- Basrur, Rajesh and Narayanan Kutty, Sumitha, 2018, ‘Conceptualizing strategic partnerships’, in Rajesh Basrur and Sumitha Narayanan Kutty, eds, India and Japan: assessing the strategic partnership(Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan).
- Calvo, Alex, 2015, “On India's ‘Looking East’ Policy and the South China Sea,” Issue Briefings, no.3, 2015. Available at: https://scstt.storage.googleapis.com/publications/Issue-Briefings-2015-3-Calvo.pdf.
- Chacko, Priya, 2014, ‘The rise of the Indo-Pacific: understanding ideational change and continuity in India's foreign policy’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, 68(4): 433-452. Available at :https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10357718.2014.891565.
- Chong, Alan and Wu, Shang-su, 2018, “Indo-Pacific’ vs. ‘Asia-Pacific’:Contending Visions?” RSIS Commentary, No. 034–28 February 2018, Available at: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CO18034.pdf.
- Chung, Ch’ien-peng, 2004, Domestic Politics, International Bargaining and China’s Territorial Disputes (London: Routledge Curzon 2004).
- Economic Times, 2018, ‘India will pursue own interests in the Indo-Pacific: envoy’, Economic Times, 16 Nov. 2018, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-will-pursue-own-interests-in-indo-pacific-envoy/printarticle/66650914.cms.
- Fang, Tien-sze (Undated). India’s Pivot to the Asia-Pacific and the Transformation of Its International Role. National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan.
- Clinton, Hillary Rodham, 2011, “Remarks on India and the United States: A Vision for the 21st Century,” U.S. Department of State, July 20, 2011, Available at: https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2011/07/168840.htm.
- Faisal, Muhammad, 2019, “CPEC and Regional Connectivity”,Strategic Studies, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Summer 2019), pp. 1-17, Available at:https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/48544296.
- Government of India, 2014, Ministry of External Affairs ‘Speech by vice-president of India on “Calibrated futurology: India, China and the world” at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing’, 3 June 2014, https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/23518/speech+by+vice+president+of+india+on+calibrated+futurology+india+china+and+the+world+at+the+chinese+academy+of+social+sciences+beijing+june+30+2014.
- Government of India, 2016, Ministry of External Affairs, ‘Joint statement between India and Vietnam during the visit of Prime Minister to Vietnam’, 3 Sept. 2016, http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/27362/Joint+Statement+between+India+and+Vietnam+during+the+visit+of+Prime+Minister+to+Vietnam.
- Government of India, 2018, “Ministry of External Affairs, ‘Prime Minister's keynote address at Shangri-La Dialogue”, https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/29943/Prime+Ministers+Keynote+Address+at+Shangri+La+Dialogue+June+01+2018.
- Grossman, Derek, 2018, ‘India is the weakest link in the Quad’, Foreign Policy, 23 July 2018, https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/23/india-is-the-weakest-link-in-the-quad/; Jeff Smith, ‘India and the quad: weak link or keystone?’, The Strategist (Australian Strategic Policy Institute), 15 Jan. 2019, https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/india-and-the-quad-weak-link-or-keystone/.
- Jaishankar, Dhruva, 2014, “A Fine Balance: India, Japan and the United States,” The
- National Interest online, 24 January 2014, Available at: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/fine-balance-india-japan-the-united-states-9762.
- Grare, Frederic, 2014, The India–Australia strategic relationship: defining realistic expectations (Washington DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).
- Jaishankar, Dhruva, 2018, ‘2+2 delay does not mean India–US ties are in trouble’, NDTV.com, 29 June 2018, https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/5-facts-that-prove-india-us-defence-ties-are-growing-1874850.
- ‘Japan-India Joint Statement: Towards a Free, Open and Prosperous Indo-Pacific’ Gandhi Nagar, 14 September 2017. http://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000289999.pdf. Accessed on 9 November 2017.
- Indian Express, 2016, ‘India invites Australian army for special forces exercise to be held in October’, Indian Express, 16 July 2016, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/india-invites-australian-army-for-special-forces-exercise-to-be-held-in-october-2915749/
- Khilnani, Sunil et al., 2012, Nonalignment 2.0: a foreign and strategic policy for India in the twenty-first century (New Delhi: Centre for Policy Research).
- Kalyanaraman, , 2016, “India Foreign policy Options in the Asia- Pacific: A Critical Evaluation”, Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, idsa.in, June 10, 2016. Available at: https://idsa.in/event/india-foreign-policy-options-in-the-asia-pacific_100616.
- Kaplan Robert, D., 2009, “Center Stage for the 21st Century: Power Play in the Indian Ocean,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2009, Available at: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/east-asia/2009-03-01/center-stage-21st-century.
- Kazmin, Amy, 2018, ‘India orders officials to stay away from Dalai Lama rally’, Financial Times, 6 March 2018, https://www.ft.com/content/1aa2876c-2149-11e8-a895-1ba1f72c2c11.
- Khurana, Gurpreet S., 2008, “China's ‘String of Pearls’ in the Indian Ocean and Its Security Implications,” Strategic Analysis, Vol. 32, No. 1, January 2008. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09700160801886314?journalCode=rsan20.
- Kirk, Donald, 2011, “South Korea delivers setback to Somali pirates and a warning to North Korea,” The Christian Science Monitor. January 21, 2011. Available at: https://www.csmonitor.com/.../South-Korea-delivers-setback-to-Somali-pirates-and-a-wa.
- Madan, Tanvi, 2017, ‘The rise, fall, and rebirth of the Quad’, War on the Rocks, 16 Nov. 2017, https://warontherocks.com/2017/11/rise-fall-rebirth-quad/.
- Madhav, Ram, 2018, ‘India needs to focus eastward, The Hindu, 17 Jan. 2018, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-needs-to-focus-eastward/article22458036.ece.
- Medcalf, R., 2015, “Reimagining Asia: from Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific”. Available at: www.theasanforum.org/reimagining-asia-from-asia-pacific-to-indo-pacific/ June 26, 2015.
- Mishra, Vivek, 2016, “Revealed: India's Ambitious New Naval Strategy,” National Interest, June 2, 2016, Available at: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/revealed-indias-ambitious-new-naval-strategy-16438?page=show.
- Mohan, C. Raja, 2017, ‘What the return of the quadrilateral says about India and emerging Asian geopolitics’, Indian Express, 29 October 2017. Available at: http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/in-fact-what-the-return-of-quadrilateral-says-about-india-and-emerging-asian-geopolitics-4912740/. Accessed on 10 November 2017.
- Pan, Chengxin, 2014, ‘The “Indo-Pacific” and geopolitical anxieties about China’s rise in the Asian regional order’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 68, No. 4, 2014, pp. 453-69. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2014.884054.
- Pant, Harsh V., 2016, “India, US must collaborate on South China Sea,” Hindustan Times, March 13, 2016, Available at: http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2011/07/168840.htm.
- Pillalamarri, Akhilesh ,2014, Project Mausam: India’s Answer to China’s ‘Maritime Silk Road’, The diplomat, https://thediplomat.com/2014/09/project-mausam-indias-answer-to-chinas-maritime-silk-road/
- Rajagopalan, Rajesh, 2020, Evasive balancing: India's unviable Indo-Pacific strategy, International Affairs, Vol. 96, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 75–93, Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiz224.
- Scobar, P., 2017, “New Great Game moves from Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific”.atimes.com December 7, 2017. Available at: www.atimes.com/article/new-great-game-moves-asia-pacific-indo-pacific.
- Scott, David, 2012, India and the Allure of the ‘Indo-Pacific’. International Studies, 49(3-4), 165-188. Also see David Scott, ‘Strategic Imperatives of India as an Emerging Player in Pacific Asia,” International Studies, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2007, pp. 123-40.
- Schwemlein, James, 2019, Strategic Implications of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, US Institute of Peace, Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep20244, Accessed: 26-03-2020 13:17.
- Sempa, Francis P., 2015, ‘Karl Haushofer and the Rise of the Monsoon Countries’, The Diplomat, 10 March 2015. Available at: https://thediplomat.com/2015/03/karl-haushofer-and-the-rise-of-the-monsoon-countries/
- Singh, A.K., 2018, “India’s Pathways for Regional Prominence in Asia-Pacific”. Journal of Defense Studies. idsa.in, Available at: https://idsa.in/jds/jds-12-1-2018-india-asia-pacific.
- Singh, B., 2016, “New Geopolitical Great Game of Indo-Pacific: Challenges and Options for India” moderndiplomacy.eu/2016/05/22. Available at: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2016/05/22/new-geopolitical-great-game-of-indo-pacific-challenges-and-options-for-india/.
- Singh, Abhijit, 2015, “China: Getting Ready to Dominate the Indian Ocean?,” National
- Interest, 27 January 2015, Available at: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/china-gettingready-dominate-the-indian-ocean-12130.
- Soeya, Yoshihide et al., 2017, “Diving into the Indo-Pacific”, ASEANFocus, Available at: https://www.iseas.edu.sg/images/pdf/ASEANFocusDec17.pdf.
- Thayer Mahan, Alfred, 2003, The Problem of Asia: It’s Effect upon International Politics (New York, 1900). Republished by Transaction Publishers, London.
- Twining, Daniel, 2006, “The New Game: Why the Bush Administration has Embraced India,” The German Marshall Fund of the United States, December 20, 2006, Available at: http://www.gmfus.org/commentary/new-great-game-why-bush-administration-has-embraced-india.
- The Hindustan Times, 2012, “Indian Interests in South China Sea Being Protected,” The Hindustan Times, December 3, 2012, Available at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/indian-interests-in-south-china-sea-being-protected/story-6Oiu TRJQ1qHDSF6HA84DsI.html.
- The Hindu, 2018, ‘India, Indonesia elevate ties’, The Hindu, 31 May 2018, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-indonesia-elevate-ties/article24039667.ece.
- Wells, Alice, 2017, US Department of State, before House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, ‘Maintaining US influence in south Asia: the FY 2018 budget’, 7 Sept. 2017, https://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA05/20170907/106375/HHRG-115-FA05-Wstate-WellsA-20170907.pdf.
- ‘US-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region’, New Delhi, 25 January 2015. Available at: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/25/us-india-joint-strategic-vision-asia-pacific-and-indian-ocean-region. Accessed on 8 November 2017.
- “US-India Joint Statement,” The White House, September 30, 2014, Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/30/us-india-joint-statement.
- Wezeman,,Pieter D. , et al. (2021)"Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2020", SIPRI, https://www.sipri.org/publications/2021/sipri-fact-sheets/trends-international-arms-transfers-2020.
|
