India, Quad and geo-strategic autonomy

    It's common in this multipolar world to form relationships and alliances with many countries. The uncertainty created by multipolarity is itself enough to suggest the changing relationships between the nations. There are no permanent friends or foes in this world of diplomacy and everything seems to be fair.

    The whole world has been acknowledging the Chinese aggression factor as a cause for concern to global peace and stability. China must tread along careful lines as it might be creating a sense of hatred not among the governments of the world but among the people of countries belonging to diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. People's vendetta is a very dangerous concern for any nation. Lessons can be learnt from Germany of how people reacted to Versailles treaty after the First World War by supporting hitler and the rest is  history ! 

    Many international organisations are taking note of Chinese behaviour very closely. The Chinese dismay for international organisations will not go unnoticed. China has to take note that it requires global peace and order to sustain its over manufacturing economy. The hyper-interconnectedness caused by globalisation has pulled in the smallest of the economies of the world into the global economic order. With USA and China clashing on many fronts and escalating tensions, a Cold War is the last thing that the world requires in the post COVID-19 era. World economy has fallen. Many business chains right from hotels, travel and tourism, aesthetic and luxury services, etc. to small scale retailers and road side vendors have suffered a set back. A reverse migration from the cities to the villages has been visible. The governments of the day should take this opportunity and develop infrastructure in the villages to accommodate the reverse migrated with jobs and start decreasing regional disparity and ensure inclusive and equitable development for all.

    The quad on the international front is seen as a major peace-keeping organisation to check the Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. But the inclusion of Australia to the Malabar exercise which currently includes India, Japan and the US is seen as a challenge and threat by China as it formally recognises the military relationship of the Quad which is comprised of the said above 4 countries. The concept of non alignment in this multipolar multifaceted world is redundant. Not necessarily should we form an alliance, but we should be connected to other countries. India would miss a lot by remaining aloof from the global alliances. The quad should be used by India as a bargaining chip to discipline China which has been causing border skirmishes and indirectly challenging Indian autonomy by overpowering economically in Iran and offering a peace deal to Bhutan to give away Dokhlam plateau which is a strategic location for the chicken neck of India. India should not reject altogether, the possibility of a military alliance with Quad.

    Most argue that India is China's neighbour and has dire consequences if there is an alliance system opposing China. While this is true, India need not tolerate the aggressive Chinese attitude and lose more regional autonomy. Just by forming an alliance we are not losing our sovereignty, we are just leveraging other available options to maintain global peace so that 21st century doesn't become like the previous one and entails inclusive sustainable development. And of course we will be sending out a strong message to China that we will not be sitting around quiet while they aggressively eat on our borders !