From non-alignment to poly-alignment
A must read monograph tracking India’s defence relations with the world.
From the brilliant monograph at the Strategic Studies Institute of US Army War College titled India’s Strategic Defense Transformation: Expanding Global Relationships by Lieutenant Colonel Brian Hedrick of US army:
India’s interests have changed over the past decade or more, taking it from a position of nonalignment and noncommitment to having specific strategic interests taking it on a path of “poly-alignment.” This path appears to be following four specific, but intermingled courses:
• Becoming a regional power across the Indian Ocean basin and securing agreements from partners in this region that support this goal, while building up expeditionary capabilities in its navy and air force. At the same time, it continues to modernize its army to deal with potential threats from its immediate neighbors and internal insurgency groups, and to fulfill its goal of being a global leader in UN peacekeeping.
• Developing “strategic partnerships” with countries perceived as leaders of a global, multipolar order and seeking modern military capabilities from many of those countries. This includes modern weapon systems as well as the technology and licensed production associated with those weapon systems.
• Securing or maintaining ties with smaller countries globally, many of which are members of the NAM, that can provide support in international fora as well as provide potential markets for its own emerging defense industry.
• Maintaining its position of leadership in the NAM and publically presenting itself as “nonaligned” despite its actual alignments in the three above thrust areas.
Download the monograph from the Indpohile US Army career officer and keep it for your weekend reading. Highly recommended.
Obsn 1.
If the natives have long term perspectives and interfaced ca right there must have been some serious deep thinking and implementation done locally. Who tuned it ok so that firangis have also tuned in to local FM ?
Obsn 2
Page 51 srl. 14 has to be in error over fact & rank grade to local chief.
This is only peripherally related to the topic of poly-alignment, but there may not be honourable intentions in this clamour to cover the Dalai Lama’s visit to AP. Excessive coverage of what is not necessarily anything extraordinary may end up creating unnecessary friction between India and China — there are plenty of other reasons for necessary friction between India and China at this time, so such irritants may be well avoided.
In reality, the Dalai Lama is just traveling to another state in India, so why should there be a clamour to cover the event? His Holiness could travel to Tawang again any time he wants. By allowing journalists to treat this as some sort of nose-thumbery at China, it may end up being “an international incident” with smug articles in the economist and other mischiefmongers — a full-blown self-fulfilling prophecy of “spiralling Indo-china hostility”.