EDITORIAL ANALYSIS:  A Chill Down Asia’s Spine

 Source: The Indian Express

• Prelims: Current events of international importance(Indo-Pacific, Regional forums, etc
• Mains GS Paper II: Multipolar World, Significance of Indo-Pacific for India, Indo-Pacific Region, Free and open Indo-Pacific, International organizations.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• Last week’s summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Madrid was the significant Indo-Pacific presence.
• For the first time, the prime ministers of Australia, Japan, and New Zealand as well as the president of South Korea participated in a NATO summit.
• Sweden and Finland have ended their historic neutrality and decided to join NATO.
• The conflict between Russian and Chinese expansionism on the one hand and the revitalisation of old alliances like NATO and the construction of new Asian coalitions like the Quad and AUKUS.
• NATO will increase the strength of its rapid reaction force(RRF) nearly eightfold to 3,00,000 troops as part of its response to an “era of strategic competition”. The NATO reaction force currently numbers around 40,000.
• In NATO’s new strategic concept, the alliance addresses for the first time the security challenges posed by China.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• It is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
• There are currently 30 member states.
• NATO’s essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means.
• NATO has an integrated military command structure but very few forces or assets are exclusively its own.

Key new objectives:

• Deliver further military support to Ukraine When they convene in Spain, with NATO members set to adopt a “strengthened comprehensive assistance package,” including deliveries of secure communication and anti-drone systems.
• Help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era armaments to modern NATO equipment.
• Address for the first time the security challenges posed by China.
• Methods to respond to the growing influence of Russia and China in their southern neighbour.

Alliances of NATO:

Objectives of NATO:

NATO and Europe:

• Russia’s claims that Ukraine does not have the right to exist and that Moscow must have a veto over the policies of its western neighbours has shaken Europe out of its stupor.
• NATO that is now determined to cope with the Russian threat.
• Germany — which has long sought good political and commercial relations with Russia — has agreed to raise its defense spending and do more for European security.
• Sweden and Finland have ended their historic neutrality and decided to join NATO.
• The US is doubling down on its military commitments to Europe.

NATO and India:

• For India, it is natural to be neutral between its old friend Russia and its newfound partners in North America and Europe.
• It is equally instinctive for India, a continental nation, to underestimate the security concerns of smaller states, especially in faraway Europe.
• For Indian analysts it is easy to be “objective” about Russian expansionism in Europe. But their homilies on the dangers of alliances and arms races are of no use for smaller European countries that worry about losing territory and political independence to Russia.
• India however, tends to be a lot more “subjective” about Chinese expansionism in Asia, for it cuts so close to the Indian bone.

China And NATO:

• China has cried wolf about QUAD, an impending “Asian NATO”.
• Way back in 2007 — when India conducted a mere joint naval exercise with the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore, China called it a precursor to an “Asian NATO”.
• Since then “Asian NATO” has been the staple of Chinese propaganda.
• It is China’s expansionism that is driving its neighbours towards NATO.
• Japan and South Korea are two of China’s most important East Asian neighbours and share deep cultural and civilisational bonds as well as massive commercial relationships with China.
• Australia and New Zealand are a bit further away but are deeply tied to the Chinese economy.
• All four are members of the China-led regional economic architecture called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP.
• For Japan, who faces a direct threat from China, “Ukraine could well be about the future of Asian security”.

Need for such move by Asian countries:

• Threat from a larger country like China: A large nation can simply order its armed forces into a neighbour’s territory and demand the surrender of the victim’s sovereignty sends chills down the Asian spine, at a moment when China has become so much more powerful than its neighbours.
• Deterrence against China: Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will not become formal members of the European military alliance. Developing deeper institutional military ties to NATO is only one element of the Asian strategy to improve deterrence against Chinese aggression.
• Creation of sophisticated national military: Creation of more sophisticated national military capabilities has been the first priority of some of China’s neighbours.
• Resolving mutual differences: Resolving mutual differences and strengthening security cooperation — for example between Japan and South Korea — has been another.
• Boosting bilateral alliances with the US: Even as nations in the region reboot ties with the US, Asia is also seeking to diversify its security partnerships.
• Engagement with Europe: Greater Asian engagement with Europe as well as the creation of new Indo-Pacific regional institutions – including the Quad, and the AUKUS.

significance of Indo-Pacific region for India:

• Strategic significance: The Indo-Pacific is a multipolar region that accounts for over half of global GDP and population.
• Mineral Resources: Maritime regions have also become important storage areas for essential resources such as fish stocks, minerals, and offshore oil and gas.
• Economic Growth: The Indo-Pacific area accounts for approximately 60% of world GDP, making it the most important contributor to global growth.
• Commerce: Many of the world’s most important choke points for global trade are located in this region, including the Straits of Malacca, which are crucial for global economic growth.

Differences and similarities between AUKUS and QUAD:

• AUKUS is a security/military alliance while Quad is a diplomatic alliance.
• The countries under AUKUS include Australia, USA and UK whereas QUAD includes the United States, India, Japan and Australia.
• AUKUS specifically will deal with the security and military situation in the Indo-Pacific region whereas QUAD focuses on multilateral issues, ranging from economic discussions, security affairs & global affairs.
• In AUKUS, Australia would be helped to develop nuclear powered submarines but in QUAD only military exercises like Malabar are conducted but no nuclear submarines are developed.
• One similarity is that both the groups have a common interest in protecting the Indo-Pacific region from China’s dominance over other nations.

Way Forward

• The last few decades of peace and prosperity in Europe and Asia had enormously increased the influence of Russia and China in their neighbourhoods.
• The imperial ambitions of China and Russia is rooted in a profound misreading of their leverage that produced a massive geopolitical backlash.
• Rather than sharpen the contradiction between the US and its regional allies, Russian and Chinese actions have helped consolidate old alliances and gave birth to new security coalitions.
• NATO’s approach to China is limited to low-key dialogue and some statements of concern about the militarisation of South China Sea island features. Working more closely with like-minded partners such as Japan or Australia, could be an effective way to better manage the China factor.
• Appropriate diplomatic maneuvering and economic and military assertion is vital for the implementation of India’s interests in the region along with leveraging the space as a building block for a multipolar world order.
• India’s view is to work with other like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region to cooperatively manage a rules-based multipolar regional order and prevent any single power from dominating the region or its waterways.
• There needs to be support for Indo-Pacific governments, boost their capacity to make independent political choices by helping partners root out corruption, including through foreign-assistance and development policies.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

With the expanding influence of China, other Asian countries are also seeking to diversify its security partnerships. Discuss.

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)