Dilemmas of India’s great power ambitions

Source:The Hindu

For Prelims: Ministry of External Affairs, Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, 

For Mains: India’s Global Ambitions vs. Domestic Priorities.

Highlights Of the Article:

• India's great power ambitions are a subject of debate, with some urging the country to focus on its domestic challenges, while others advocate for assertiveness in global affairs.
• Over the past three decades, India has made significant progress, transforming from a weak and impoverished nation to the world's fifth-largest economy with a strong military presence.
• Despite this progress, India still faces major infrastructural and governance issues, hindering its ability to fully engage in global matters.
• The comparison between India and Bangladesh highlights that economic and military strength do not necessarily equate to the well-being of a country's citizens.
• India's political leaders are often preoccupied with addressing domestic challenges, which limits their attention to foreign policy matters.
• A weak domestic economy also hampers India's ability to allocate resources for its foreign policy objectives.
• Despite its limitations, India cannot afford to ignore the global order, as it must influence and shape it to meet its economic, security, and geopolitical interests.
• India's global engagement should be balanced, considering its domestic context and the well-being of its people, and not driven by nationalistic pride or isolationism.

Context:

The context of the article is India's evolving role in the international arena and the dilemmas associated with its aspirations to become a great power.

UPSC EXAM NOTES ANALYSIS:

1. India's Remarkable Progress: From Weakness to Growing Power

• In 1991, India was a weak, poor, and troubled country with limited foreign exchange reserves of $5.8 billion and a nominal GDP of $270.11 billion.
• Over the next three decades, India experienced significant progress, and by 2023, it became the world's fifth-largest economy with a foreign exchange reserve of around $600 billion.
• The economic reforms initiated after the 1991 crisis resulted in higher GDP growth and significant poverty reduction.
• India's military strength also grew, and it now possesses over a hundred nuclear weapons.

2. The Dilemma: Balancing Domestic Upliftment and Global Assertiveness

• There are differing views on how India should approach its global power ambitions. Some argue that India must focus on uplifting millions of people out of poverty and improving governance within the country before asserting itself internationally.
• On the other hand, there are proponents of India's active global engagement, urging the country to assert its growing power and play a significant role in shaping the world order.
• The article acknowledges that India's global actions will have consequences for the world, but it also stresses the importance of understanding and addressing the country's inherent limitations and challenges.

3. Challenges in Pursuit of Great Power Status: Domestic Issues and Resource Allocation

• Despite India's economic growth and military strength, it faces several infrastructural and governance challenges.
• Ease of doing business has improved, but corruption remains a concern, and natural calamities like heavy rain continue to disrupt daily life.
• The presence of major regional, caste, ethnic, and religious divisions adds to the complexity of governance.
• The article highlights the impact of a weak domestic economy on India's ability to allocate sufficient resources for foreign policy objectives.
• A Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs observed that despite an increase in the overall budget allocation of the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs' allocation has witnessed a downward turn, reaching only 0.44% of the government's budget during 2022-23.

In conclusion, India's transformation from weakness to growing power has led to a complex dilemma. Balancing domestic upliftment with global assertiveness is crucial for the country. While India's rise as a great power presents opportunities to influence the world order, it must not lose sight of its domestic challenges. Striking the right balance between domestic priorities and global ambitions will determine India's sustainable growth and responsible role in international affairs. Addressing governance issues, reducing poverty, and efficient resource allocation will be essential in shaping India's destiny as a significant global player.