India and NATO talks -The challenge of crises

According to media sources, India and NATO conducted a political conversation in 2019 with the goal of boosting relations. The same allegations, which were never contradicted, stated that the conversation had centred on China, the changing situation in Afghanistan, and terrorism. However, NATO's emphasis on Russia as a critical danger and its relative ambivalence about China's security issue restricted common ground between the two sides at the time. This new round of discussions will take place in a drastically altered geopolitical situation.

With India's developing multi-alignment, engagements or dialogues with military alliances such as NATO appear acceptable. The purpose of multi-alignment is to preserve India's strategic autonomy, allowing New Delhi to engage with NATO while still being a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization alongside Russia and China.

INDIA AND NATO STRATEGIC RELATIONS

On December 12, 2019, India conducted its first political dialogue with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels. However, in the current times, an engaging NATO in a political conversation will allow India to balance NATO's assessment of the situation in regions and subjects of significance to India. Interaction with India will strengthen NATO's collaboration, and India's geostrategic location provides a unique viewpoint and boosts global security in India's area and beyond.

India's negotiations with NATO are significant since the North Atlantic alliance has engaged in bilateral dialogue with China and Pakistan. Before 2019, NATO had nine rounds of negotiations with Beijing, and the Chinese Ambassador in Brussels and NATO's Deputy Secretary General met every quarter. NATO had also engaged in political discussion and military cooperation with Pakistan. NATO has begun selective training for Pakistani officers, and a NATO military mission had visited Pakistan in November 2019 for military staff meetings. Given the enormous common ground with NATO, it will be a significant topic of discussion in the meeting as well. Cooperation with the world's most powerful alliance will help India militarily and strategically. Although India can secure its borders, an alliance or strategic cooperation with NATO would deter China and Pakistan from attacking India under collective defence laws on pure geopolitical alliance. India and NATO have similar views on China, terrorism, and Afghanistan, especially Pakistan's participation in the latter. Engaging NATO in political discourse would allow India to achieve a balance in NATO's assessment of the situation in regions and subjects of significance to India.

POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATION BETWEEN INDIA AND NATO

In early March, New Delhi will have a "rare strategic conversation" with the transatlantic alliance focused on regional security challenges. Senior NATO officials, as well as representatives from India's defence and foreign ministries, are expected to attend the talks. That makes logical sense, given the two's positions in the US strategic framework. Throughout the years, New Delhi's policies have shifted towards Washington, gradually becoming a US quasi-ally. As a result, it is logical for New Delhi to expand ties with NATO, an institution that is effectively one of Washington's strategic vehicles for implementing the US' worldwide policy, including its Indo-Pacific Strategy. 

Moreover, India and NATO have claimed to have sensed "pressure" and even "threats" from China's expansion. For the first time, NATO identified China as a security concern in its 2022 Strategic Concept. In recent years, New Delhi has had some disagreements with Beijing, particularly over border concerns, trade disputes, and regional leadership. As a result, controlling China has become the most important point of agreement, and mutual interest between India and NATO, and their cooperation is expected to centre on combining forces against China. Apart from the China issue, increased engagement between the two is an attempt by one side to use the other for its strategic gain. Each party may take what they need from the collaboration.

In light of Moscow's recent major attack, NATO is under enormous strain in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. The group is seeking external aid or moral support because it may not be as powerful as it believes. Furthermore, NATO continues to have the terrible objective of increasing its participation in the Asia-Pacific area, which would undoubtedly upset regional order. Washington intends to utilise India as a springboard to increase its engagement in the region, reinforcing its containment of China and pinning Russia down from the West and east. India, on its part, wishes to enhance the complicated global strategic environment in which it finds itself. The West has attempted to drag India into sanctions on Russia, particularly since the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, but India has attempted to maintain a neutral posture because it still relies heavily on Russia.

THE CHINA ANGLE

Given that India continues to face Chinese border aggressiveness, China will be a topic of mutual interest in this conversation. NATO may benefit from a greater grasp of the challenge India confronts and China's expansionist policy. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO has taken a more assertive stance. Beijing's backing for Moscow, as well as its announcement of a "no-limits" cooperation with Russia, has toughened NATO's stance towards the Asian behemoth. NATO's new Strategic Concept, released in June of last year, confronts the China problem head-on. The proclaimed goals and coercive practises of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has put NATO’s interests, security, and values at risk. The People's Republic of China uses a variety of political, economic, and military measures to expand its worldwide footprint and project influence while staying secretive about its strategy, aims, and military buildup. The PRC's destructive hybrid and cyber activities, as well as its aggressive rhetoric and disinformation, aim and undermine Alliance security. The People's Republic of China aspires to dominate vital technology and industrial sectors, crucial infrastructure, and strategic resources and supply networks. It leverages its economic might to forge strategic alliances and expand its influence. It seeks to undermine the international order based on norms, notably in the space, cyber, and marine sectors. In recent years, European nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France have increased their military presence in the region. Given Moscow's bitter relationship with NATO, it remains to be seen if this development will impact India's relationship with Russia.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

Stronger connections with NATO will negatively influence India's relationship with Russia. According to NATO, the greatest threat it faced was not China, but Russia, whose aggressive activities endanger European security. With its members' differing perspectives on China, India's Quad membership is designed to challenge Beijing. After its initial round of negotiations with NATO, New Delhi realised it had no common ground with the alliance on Russia or the Taliban. NATO saw the Taliban as a political body, contradicting India's position. Due to Russia's unwillingness to position problems such as Ukraine and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, NATO has difficulty convening meetings of the NATO-Russia Council.

Based on the success made in the early rounds, New Delhi may examine NATO offers for bilateral collaboration in areas of relevance to India. According to NATO, India was relevant to world security and could be an essential partner due to its geostrategic position and unique viewpoints on numerous issues. India must avoid being involved in disputes unrelated to its national interests. A close connection with NATO would also jeopardise India's professed objective of working towards a multipolar world, raising concerns among India's allies in Moscow. India must seek new partners on its own terms.

CONCLUSION

By increasing its interaction with NATO, India hopes to exercise some influence in alleviating tensions between Russia and the transatlantic treaty organisation. He remarked that this is a method for New Delhi to flaunt its so-called great power status while also preparing to host the G20 conference this year. Many Indians dislike NATO, and several Indian media sources have advised the Indian government to "keep relations with NATO restricted" and avoid becoming too entangled in the Washington-led alliance structure. As a result, if New Delhi insists on deepening its collaboration with NATO, it must consider domestic public sentiment.

Also, it will be a test of India's diplomatic and strategic autonomy, which is dwindling as it increasingly ties itself to American strategy. It has indicated that India may lack the capacity and resources to assert its declared strategic autonomy. To this extent, following Washington has already significantly harmed New Delhi's strategic autonomy. The ability of India to conduct an independent foreign policy rather than just following the US will be critical for New Delhi.

According to certain Indian analysts, India and NATO may explore joint cooperation stances through frequent conversation forums and share perspectives on counter-terrorism and the geopolitical environment. Others argue that India and NATO can form an Indo-Pacific maritime security alliance. The degree and scope of India's collaboration with NATO are determined by the evolution of Indian foreign policy and India's assessment of its strategic autonomy.

REFERENCES

1.         The Indian Express. “Explained: The Significance of India’s Talks with NATO, and next Steps,” August 12, 2022. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/india-nato-talks-explained-significance-common-ground-china-pakistan-8085582/.

2.        mint. “India, Nato to Hold Strategic Talks; Focus on Regional Security, China,” January 26, 2023. https://www.livemint.com/economy/india-nato-to-hold-strategic-talks-focus-on-regional-security-china-11674756071422.html.

3.        “India, NATO To Hold Strategic Talks; To Focus On China.” https://www.indiandefensenews.in/2023/01/india-nato-to-hold-strategic-talks-to.html.

4.       The Times of India. “NATO Making Overtures to India to Create Problems in India-China Relations: Russian Foreign Minister,” January 19, 2023. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nato-making-overtures-to-india-to-create-problems-in-india-china-relations-russian-foreign-minister/articleshow/97127420.cms.

5.        ANI News. “NATO Making Overtures to India to Create Problems in India-China Relations: Russian Foreign Minister.” https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/nato-making-overtures-to-india-to-create-problems-in-india-china-relations-russian-foreign-minister20230119143123/.

6.       Standish, Reid. “A Chinese Proposal To End The War In Ukraine? Not Quite.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 17:23:49Z, sec. China In Eurasia. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-ukraine-peace-plan-analysis-putin-skepticism-west/32287067.html.

7.        Times, Global. “Cooperation with NATO May Lead India to Public Opinion Backlash, Greater Losses of Strategic Autonomy - Global Times.”https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1284302.shtml.

8.       ———. “NATO Remains a Cautious Option for India - Global Times.” https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202207/1270241.shtml.

9.       Grid News. “Vladimir Putin Still Has Friends in Turkey, India and South Africa.” https://www.grid.news/story/global/2023/01/26/no-to-nato-yes-to-russian-oil-and-joint-military-exercises-how-three-countries-just-gave-vladimir-putin-a-boost/.

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