India and NATO~I
Relevance: GS Paper I & II
Why in News?
India's strategic circles are discussing its stance on NATO, with the question of whether the world's largest democracy will join the military alliance. However, the debate is currently academic, as there is no NATO in Asia, and the question of whether India is joining or not does not arise.
Emergence and expansion of NATO:
- NATO is a European military alliance set up by European nations (plus Canada) with the US in strategic command after World War II to avoid another catastrophe that befell these nations for almost six years. The overwhelming sentiment after the War was ‘never again’.
- After Hitler's defeat of Nazi Germany, Soviet behaviour became increasingly disloyal, with Stalin, a wartime ally, becoming a murderous foe. After Hitler's fall, he replaced Nazi tyranny with Communist tyranny in many European nations, resulting in widespread chaos.
- Fast-forward to the 21st century. The erstwhile Soviet Union of Stalin had collapsed, and Communist tyranny imploded from within.
- The East European nations broke free. Having hard-won their freedom after decades of foreign Communist tyranny, they joined their West European counterparts in securing their future.
- NATO has served its original objective admirably. It has ensured peace in Europe for three-quarters of a century after World War II, effectively checking blatant Soviet expansionism.
NATO's promotion of democratic values:
- The NATO members were all established democracies, a commendable League of Democracies, as Dr. Kissinger described it. They had all imbibed the lessons of their recent history well.
- The US's choice of leader was automatic and obvious. The US was the military leader of the European Allies during the War. The US saved democracy not only in Europe but also in Asia, where Imperial Japan had emerged as a military ally of Nazi Germany.
- NATO membership was the obvious choice for European nations. They realized that their nascent democracies must join the League to survive. Fortunately, the spread and depth of democracy worldwide have been going apace since the end of the 20th century.
- At present, the US is the leader of the largely European NATO, where 32 nations' democracies have all voluntarily agreed to place their Armed Forces under the strategic command of the USA.
Shift in global dynamics: Rise of China
- The scenario has changed radically; the sleeping giant in the formidable form of Communist China gradually replaced the erstwhile Communist tyranny of the Soviet variety.
- Whereas the Soviets, a European power, invaded and occupied many European nations after World War II, China, historically an Asian power, has arrived to threaten Asia.
- Mao Tse Tung, the founder of Communist China, imposed tyrannous Communist rule almost at the same time as NATO's formation. But NATO was too preoccupied with the Soviet threat to overlook the emerging Asian tyranny.
- During their early years, the Chinese Communists pretended to be reasonable and friendly towards the rest of the world.
- In 1955, the Chinese Communists made their first appearance at the International Conference of Nations at Bandung, all smiles and bouquets.
- Taiwan, a “permanent” member of the UN Security Council, was made to vacate its seat in favour of Chinese Communists.
- No one stopped to ask if China would abide by the Rules and Conventions of International Law that all UN members are pledged to abide by.
- The Chinese communists' facade deceived the United States and other Western countries. India, known for its peaceful approach, was the country leading the welcoming party to the international community.
Concerns over China's expansionism:
- The founder of the Communist state had crowned himself the emperor in all but name. The Maximum Ruler adopted the title of Chairman, as Emperor Mao would have sounded ‘undiplomatic’ in the ‘comity of nations’.
- Since 1950, Mao has been encroaching on and occupying contiguous territories. He has occupied Inner Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Tibet, Aksai Chin, etc. He would have occupied Korea, too, but his proxy, North Korea, was checkmated by the resolute and far-sighted US President Truman. The Asian version of Stalin had met his match.
- According to Dr Kissinger, Mao triggered the Korean War to divert world attention and attack Formosa (formerly Taiwan) and “reunify” it with mainland China by force. Truman, the US President, promptly ordered the US 7th fleet to the Formosa Strait, and Mao was halted in his tracks.
- Mao publicly nicknamed the US a “paper tiger” that roars but cannot bite. He admitted to his official biographer, Edgar Snow, that the "paper tiger" had “nuclear teeth.”
- Dr. Kissinger drew appropriate lessons from the incident when he summed up famously the true character of Chinese Communists: “China respects only one thing, and that is strength.”
- Emperor Mao’s current successor is an equally expansionist and devious emperor, Chairman Xi. Chairman Xi faithfully continues Emperor Mao's policies and continually expands China’s footprint in Asia and the Horn of Africa.
- China’s expansionism this time does not aim to land grab neighbours but to dominate the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Land grabbing continues, though in small measure, in contiguous territories such as India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, etc.
India's response to changing geopolitical landscape:
- India, the self-proclaimed champion of non-alignment, learnt its lessons the hard way when it was attacked without provocation in 1962. India has since imbibed these lessons well.
- Today, the nation is fully prepared, and its resolve is all too evident, whether in Dhoklam or Ladakh. Like China, India is a nuclear power with a fully armed and well-equipped modern army.
- India has a formal “partnership” with friendly democracies in the Indo-Pacific, along with USA ~ QUAD. The other two are Australia and Japan, which are facing a similar threat from an increasingly expansionist China.
Conclusion:
While the debate over India's potential membership in NATO remains largely academic at this point, it underscores the broader discussions within India's strategic community about how to navigate the challenges posed by China's rise. India is facing an existential threat from China. Mao may be dead, but Maoism is alive and kicking, literally and figuratively.
Mains PYQ:
Q. “The USA is facing an existential threat in the form of China, that is much more challenging than the erstwhile Soviet Union.” Explain. (UPSC 2021)
Q. “There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World Wars.” Evaluate the statement. (UPSC 2021)
