“INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND MARITIME AFFAIRS – STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES”

 

 

I am delighted to release this book put together by my good friend Maharaj Krishna Rasgotra. I compliment all the contributors to this volume and also the Observer Research Foundation. I have always believed that we have not invested enough in a systematic study of the world, especially of countries and regions that matter more to us. So I compliment the institutions and the individuals associated with the production of this volume.

 

Rasgotraji is one of our most distinguished diplomats. I have had the good fortune of working with him for nearly three decades. More recently I have had the benefit of his sage advice and his vast experience in matters relating to our foreign and strategic policy. He has a deep understanding of world affairs and of our rich history and heritage. I hope that his wisdom, knowledge and vast experience will continue to guide us for many, many years to come. I wish him a long life and good health.

 

This volume is a collection of essays on the changing dynamics of power and prosperity in Asia and their implications for India. As I have said before, on many occasions, the most important development of the 21st century will be the rise of Asia. India’s independence from colonial rule and the gradual evolution of a strong, stable, dynamic and democratic India has also contributed to Asia’s resurgence.

 

There is no doubt that the rise of Asian economies will alter the global balance of wealth and power. This need not worry the West. A dynamic and prosperous Asia can power global growth and provide new opportunities for growth for the world economy, as indeed it is already doing. But, power comes with responsibility. We in Asia must learn to deal with this new opportunity. We need cooperative and consultative institutions and mechanisms to deal with the changing dynamics. We need a better understanding of each other both at the level of States and of civil society.

 

The first step towards the orderly progress of Asia should, therefore, be an informed understanding of each other. We need more energetic institutions to facilitate this outcome. We also need a new attitude towards each other to enable mutual comprehension of each others’ concerns and priorities. We Asians often look at each other through borrowed eyes. Through tinted glasses and distorted mirrors. This must change. In particular, we in India, need to devote more time and resources in studying the strongest economies of Asia – China, Japan and South Korea.

 

Our Government has re-activated the Indian Council of World Affairs and has offered support to other think tanks to invest in the study of Asia, Africa and our neighbourhood. I have asked the Ministry of External Affairs to be more pro-active in funding research and in seeking professional inputs into our foreign policy. I hope efforts like these will help in our formulating a more informed policy towards our Asian neighbours.

 

We also need global institutions and new global “rules of the game” that can facilitate the peaceful rise of new nations in Asia. It also means that existing global institutions and frameworks of cooperation must evolve and change to accommodate this new reality. This is as true for the reform and revitalization of the United Nations and the restructuring of the United Nations Security Council, as it is true for the management of multilateral trading system, or for the protection of global environment or for the security of world energy supplies. We need new pathways of cooperation to deal with the scourge of international terrorism.

 

When I look at my schedule of meetings with foreign leaders these past three years I am struck by the fact that Asian leaders dominate this calendar of engagement.

 

We have imparted new energy to our “Look East Policy”, launched in the early 1990s. This has contributed to a comprehensive re-engagement with Asia to our East. The rapid growth of the economies of China and India has created new opportunities for expansion of trade and investment to our mutual benefit. Simultaneously, we are engaged in a joint exercise to find a just and fair settlement of the border problem. With Japan, we are exploring new pathways to give added meaning and content to our multifaceted interaction.

 

Our relations with South-East Asia are ancient and civilisational. On top of this foundation we have built a new relationship facilitated by the forces of globalisation and regional cooperation. Today we have a very special relationship with most of the member-countries of ASEAN, and the India-ASEAN FTA will bring our region even closer. This has enabled us to be active participants in the East Asia Summit.

 

We have also revitalized SAARC, as shown by the agenda and the success of the New Delhi Summit. But we must do more to realize the full potential of SAARC. Civil society must play its role in building mutual understanding. We are generally more aware of what happens far away in distant shores than in the countries of our own region. I hope think tanks like yours will encourage more such research.

 

We are paying equal attention to our relations with Central Asia and West Asia. These are also ancient and civilisational. In Central Asia, there are new factors, like energy security, that are contributing to a renewed relationship. If peace returns to West Asia, our trade and travel links will be revitalized. We will be at the center of a dynamic Asian resurgence on the East and the West. The people of Asia from the shores of the Mediterranean to those of the Pacific can re-discover each other in a new world.

 

This growing engagement with Asia must be based on a better appreciation of Asia’s rapidly changing economic, political, social and strategic dynamics. I sincerely hope and trust this book inspires more effort in that direction.

 

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