Will India Gain From Joining The Asian NATO? – Prof K Nageshwar

The United States led Quadrilateral alliance comprising Australia, Japan, and India is shaping up in the Asia Pacific region, which is now renamed as Indo Pacific. QUAD purportedly aimed at encircling China is often referred to as the Asian NATO by the American policymakers.

Will India gain from joining QUAD by abandoning its long-held foreign policy position of remaining aloof from any military alliance? Contrary to India’s policy of non-alignment, Pakistan embraced US-inspired military alliances like the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO). The result is obvious. India evolved into a third world global power, while Pakistan turned into a mendicant of American military supplies. Besides, the military consolidated its position and started to dictate Pakistan’s political life too.

The QUAD aims at conducting joint military exercises in the South China Sea, where India has no stakes. Interestingly, the countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam that have a direct dispute with China in South China Sea refuse to believe that US led military alliance will serve their strategic interests vis-à-vis Beijing. For joining this military alliance, India doesn’t get any explicit commitment to military support from the US, Japan, and Australia in the wake of any conflict with China.

In fact, the idea of QUAD was moved much before India and China armed conflict at Ladakh. Japan proposed such a military arrangement in 2007. But, the then governments in India and Australia did not respond positively. India signed a defense agreement with the United States way back in 2005. It was further strengthened by India signing the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreements (LEMOA) in 2016. President Obama mooted the four nation military alliance during his visit to India in 2015. President Trump reiterated the same during his visit to India in early 2020. The chronology of events, therefore, clearly establish India joining QUAD is unrelated to the Ladakh standoff. China started suspecting India as the latter moved closer to the United States to encircle Beijing militarily.

India and Pakistan have a history of military conflicts. Such conflicts cannot be ruled out in the future too. Pakistan is an enduring and trusted military ally of the US. How will India gain from joining US-led military alliance?

Though counterinsurgency is on the agenda of QUAD, none of its members are committing to support India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. Therefore, it is evident that QUAD serves American strategic interests than India’s security, even from aggressive China. Ideological predilections cannot dictate foreign policy, especially defense-related aspects. Instead, national interest should guide our strategic vision.

By – Prof K Nageshwar

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