UN-easy idea

India should lead the anti-piracy mission in its own seas, and not seek a UN-led mission.

India has suggested a five-step anti-piracy action plan to the United Nations Security Council to combat the menace of piracy in the of Indian Ocean.

The five steps Puri recommended are: tracking the trail of ransom money to different parts of the world, prosecution of the beneficiaries of ransom money for abetting piracy, conduct of naval operations under the UN, sanitation of the Somali coastline through identified corridors and enactment of national laws to criminalise piracy.[PTI]

At the face of it, the step #3: conduct of naval operations under the UN, sounds like a sound idea. But it is not. The reason is simple. Piracy is no longer restricted to the waters in the vicinity of the Somalian shores. It has moved closer to the Indian shores, which has resulted in the insurers increasing premiums for ships passing through here. See this Somalian piracy threat map: 2005-2010 to get the extent of the threat. Even if one were to desist extrapolating from that map, the incidents of piracy in this year itself have been scarily close to the Indian shores (see this, this and this). Going by the historical evidence of last five years, this trend is unlikely to be reversed soon.

Notwithstanding India’s continued military contribution to UN peacekeeping assignments over the years, most of them have turned out to be abysmal failures. There is little chance that an anti-piracy mission under the UN flag will be any different. But more importantly, there is no reason for India to seek a UN assignment so close to its maritime borders. These waters, in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, are India’s own areas of influence and it would be imprudent for India to itself seek a Blue-flag naval operation — outside its direct or indirect control — there.

What is the alternative then? Consequent to years of lag in modernisation, India does not have the naval assets and the resources to take on this task on its own. But India can learn from the example of the multi-national Combined Task Force-150, which has been deployed by the United States in the Indian Ocean to fight piracy. India can similarly take a lead and coordinate with other countries — say Australia, Japan, Bangladesh and Indonesia — in the region to create a CTF for this region. The naval assets of countries of South and South East Asia can be pooled in to conduct anti-piracy operations in the regions close to Indian shores. India could place this mission’s headquarters along with India’s Southern Naval Command, provide substantial logistical and financial support to the mission and seek a UNSC mandate supporting the CTF. The diplomatic initiative from India’s side can be headed by a special envoy for anti-piracy mission, by someone like Mr Shyam Saran, who can provide the necessary diplomatic impetus for such a mission.

There are three distinct advantages of this plan. One, it will announce to the world India’s willingness to shoulder its responsibility in global affairs as an emergent power. This will also address the questions raised against India’s status as the pre-eminent naval power in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, by preventing China’s attempts to establish a maritime role in India’s backwaters.  Furthermore, India’s neighbouring countries are likely to read the signal to desist from repeating the incident witnessed recently, where Sri Lanka Navy ended up killing some Indian fishermen.

Two, being a multilateral mission, it will also establish India’s credentials as a country which wants to cooperate and work alongside other countries in the region. Moreover, a multi-lateral mission provided Indian Navy operational interoperability with other navies of the region. It paves the way for their closer cooperation in the future, while providing the basis for developing a strategic relationship with Japan, Australia and with member-countries of  ASEAN.

Finally, India’s national security paradigm, since its independence, has been based around its land-forces. Whereas an emergent India’s role in the changed geo-political scenario of last two decades demands a bigger and stronger navy, India’s defence budget remains disproportionately skewed in the favour of its army (this is not an argument against the importance of the army but for providing navy the pre-eminent strategic role). By owning the responsibility for anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, India may finally be able to correct this strategic anomaly. This is what India needs to secure its trajectory as an emergent power.

Many would justifiably argue that it is too early to talk about an India-led CTF like naval mission now. However, it is equally important to debate this idea now, so that the misplaced Indian suggestion of having a UN-led naval operation is nipped in the bud. After all, be careful of what you wish for. It might come true.