Navigating India's Geopolitical Challenges: A Contemporary Analysis
Aditya DeIndia is a nation which is at it’s pinnacle of growth. It is the fastest growing economy in the world with a growth of 7.5 to 8.0 percent annually. Also in other factors like Human Development Index, Foreign Direct Investment and Infrastructure, India is performing extremely well. It is a wonder that how a country which was one of the most stagnant economies with high poverty ratio is today one of the most affluent economies in the world. Analyzing the current geopolitical situation of India, she has one of the most strategically important and also one of the most dangerous locations on the planet. According to a report by the U.S Department of State, South-Asia is the new hub of Islamist terrorism, shifting it’s focus from the Middle East. An estimated number of 104 UN-designated terror groups are operating in the South Asia region, mostly in the remote tribal areas of Afghanistan and North-Western part of Pakistan. The Kashmir region is infested with long seven decades of internal strife and terrorism sponsored by Pakistan. In the Northern and the North-Eastern border, another big threat presently that came into existence in October-1949, is the People’s Republic of China which is one of the last few communist regimes, still functioning smoothly. China follows an expansionist foreign policy which poses a threat to it’s neighbours specially to India, which fought two wars with China both in 1962 and 1967. Other than the Kashmir issue, India also is facing Naxalite insurgency in her tribal districts and ethnic separatism in the North-Eastern region. The current situation in Manipur shows how sensitive the situation is, which is further fuelled by the ongoing ethnic conflict in the neighbouring Myanmar.
Speaking about the advantages, India geographically has a strategic advantage. Her location in the Indian Ocean which is one of the busiest trade routes can give a bounty to India. If she is able to upgrade her Navy into a blue-water Navy, she will be capable of controlling the trade routes and gaining some soft power in the region, the strait of Hormuz, from which about world’s 40 percent oil cargo ships travel is a strategically extremely important choke point, which if gets blocked, will severely disrupt the world economy. As the strait is located between two hostile neighbours namely Iran and Saudi Arabia, it is extremely important for India to continuously upgrade her Navy. In case a conflict breaks out between the two hostile neighbours, Indian Navy can patrol the region for a safe entry and exit of cargo ships through the states and keep the supply of this vital resource steady and secure her interests, both internally and externally, as the prices of crude oil will not inflate which shows the world that India is no longer a sleeping giant.
------------
Aditya De
Student of Class-XII, Father Leblond School, Darjeeling.
0 Comments