Context
Hard power has started dictating the geopolitical atmosphere of the world. India’s Atmanirbhar push to Defense Industries must move into mission mode.
Relevance
GS-II: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
GS-II: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.
Dimensions of the Article
- Hard Power Expansion
- Ukraine and India: A parallel and Divergence
- Arms and India: West and the East
- Need of Atmanirbhar Defense Industry
- Way Forward
Hard Power Expansion
- World is being increasingly being dominated by Hard Power dynamics. Israel, China, Russia, USA etc. have all made this belief even stronger.
- Institutional mechanisms like UN, WTO, WHO etc. have weakened.
- Recent Russia-Ukraine Crisis has brought this out in the open.
- Russia has pressurized Ukraine into heeding to its demands via force and has not been heeding to either the warnings of the foreign states or the UN.
Ukraine and India: A Parallel and Divergence
- Ukraine has learned that statements do not fight a war, men and material do.
- All the criticisms of the west has not translated into military help.
- This can initiate a soul search among other US allies and the NATO countries.
- India experienced the same in1962 Conflict with China when Russia and the US both did not support India with military might.
- India learnt from this and redeemed itself in 1971.
- India has become Nuclear capable which is a big deterrent of any armed conflict in future.
Arms and India: West and the East
- India has been importing heavy amount of arms from Russia as well as USA.
- Russian equipments in fact account for over 85% of Indian arms.
- USA, France, Germany and Britain too have supplied Jets, Rifles, Helicopters and what not.
- Dependency for arms may not go down well for India’s Strategic Autonomy in the Defense Sector.
- With Hard Power becoming the global norm of geopolitical engagement, it is all the more important to reduce dependency on imports.
Need of Atmanirbhar Defense Industry
- India is sandwiched between two hostile neighbours and needs its defenses to be strong.
- India faces various challenges in regard to terrorism, militancy and insurgency which also would require weapons.
- Import dependency would mean India could bear the brunt of geopolitical fallout just like Ukraine.
- India needs to push its Defense Industry self-sufficiency on mission mode.
Way Forward
“There is no finer teacher of war than war”, said Mao. Hard Power becoming the new imperative means India can’t afford a laid back attitude. It needs to strengthen its domestic capabilities to make sure that its Hard Power dynamics remain strong. Atmanirbhar push to Defense Sector is a god step ahead which should be thrusted upon further.
Source – The Hindu
