West’s Asian link

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West’s Asian link

Wednesday, 04 May 2022 | Pioneer

Germany leads Europe’s rethink on India’s multilateral role

Germany backs India’s twin policies of multi-alignment and multilateralism by asserting that the new world order is influenced by “many countries, not by a few powerful countries”. Has the Ukraine conflict hastened such thinking?The Russian invasion has led to the West redefining, or realigning its internal relationships. It has exposed some chinks in the armour of western unity when it comes to confronting anti-west Russia or even China. Oil, for instance, has succeeded in placing the national interest of most European countries before trans-western unity. Europe’s dependence on Russian oil has divided western loyalties. The United States has had to dilute its sanctions against Russia given this dependence. Luckily for the west, Russia decided to come up with counter-sanctions of its own, giving Europe the opportunity to unite in purpose once again. Russia, aware of Europe’s dependence on its oil, is demanding payment in roubles and has blocked supplies to two European countries to drive home the point. Europe now looks for retaliation in the form of fixing a deadline to do without Russian supplies. The situation indirectly helps India. The western pressure on India to openly side with it inopposing Russia is diluted by a compromise, just like in the case of oil: The west appears, for the moment, to accept India’s unflinching stand on an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine without compromising its relationship with Russia. The reception to the Indian Prime Minister in Berlin clearly indicates this. Led by Germany, there is also a concerted western attempt to acknowledge India’s role in Asia and give India a seat at the European table. The German invite to the G-7 Summit thus has a special significance today.

It is not lost on the west that in the coming months, India’s role in the coming weeks may prove critical to the continued projection of the west’s political aspirations in Asia, especially the Indo-Pacific region. Japan has proposed the next in-person QUAD meeting in Tokyo on May 24 to coincide with the visit of President Joe Biden. And China will be back on the radar. India is the only QUAD member which will be taking part in the subsequent BRICS Summit in June being hosted by China. To that extent, it is reasonable for the other QUAD members to expect India to represent their views at BRICS. It will be India’s stand that will resonate at the summit if China and Russia at all use the platform to justify the Ukraine war and oppose the west. For, the New Delhi Declaration at the last BRICS meet that reiterates the “principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of States” and that all conflicts must be “resolved by peaceful means…in line with international law” will be weighing heavily on both the countries. Chinawill also be going into the meeting fully aware of its questionable incursion into India’s territory in Ladakh.

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