Indian Geopolitics in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ – A Roadmap for Harmony, Prosperity, and Collaboration among All Nations

• While the idea of an “Amrit Kaal” presents an aspirational outlook, achieving such a state of global harmony would demand substantial political determination, cooperation, and unified action from the international community.
• Achieving the goal of becoming a developed nation in 25 years requires sustained commitment, long-term planning, and collaboration across sectors and stakeholders.
• India is now in a position of being ‘Ajaatashatru’ of the developing and developed world forging friendships on different but equal terms.

The term “Amrit Kaal” from Indian spirituality translates to “Era of Nectar” or “Golden Age.” Within geopolitics, referencing the principles of geopolitics through the lens of an “Amrit Kaal” suggests a vision of an epoch marked by harmony, prosperity, and collaboration among nations and as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, “This is not the time for war”.

However, for India, the geopolitical dynamics in this era would likely prioritize joint endeavours to tackle global challenges, advance peace, and foster shared development. In a scenario of “Amrit Kaal” geopolitics, nations may emphasize diplomacy, dialogue, and multilateralism over power struggles and confrontation.

Prioritizing issues such as climate change, poverty alleviation, and human dignity, countries would work together to seek sustainable resolutions. The concept of geopolitics in an “Amrit Kaal” could also embrace the notion of soft power, where nations aim to wield influence through culture, education, and values rather than military force or coercion practised by some nations.

In ancient India, geopolitics played a significant role in shaping India’s development. Geopolitics refers to the influence of geography, history, and politics on the international relations and affairs of a region or nation. 

However, in the context of ancient India, several factors influenced geopolitics and, consequently, India’s development. The spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, and other indigenous belief systems contributed immensely to India’s soft power and influence in the region and the reverberation can still be felt. The cultural and religious ties forged through trade and migration played a crucial role in shaping diplomatic relations and alliances and the same must be practised now.

Contemporary Issues in Geopolitics

This approach underscores the importance of nurturing relationships built on mutual respect and comprehension, thereby nurturing a more inclusive and interconnected global community. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to recognize that geopolitical realities are intricate and often shaped by diverse factors like economic interests, security considerations, and historical animosities.

While speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in September 2023, India’s Minister for External Affairs S Jaishshankar^[i] said, “You see an India today whose footprint is more, whose interests and activities are more. The second is the structure of the world itself. We have seen particularly over the last maybe four or five years in many ways, more openings, the nature of world politics has changed.”

While the idea of an “Amrit Kaal” presents an aspirational outlook, achieving such a state of global harmony would demand substantial political determination, cooperation, and unified action from the international community. What remains to be seen is will the global community accept India as a serious player and not try to undermine it.

At the United Nations General Assembly annual meeting, Jaishshankar was specific on India’s global aspirations when he said, “We, in India, have never seen that as being in contradiction with global good. When we aspire to be a leading power, this is not for self-aggrandisement but to take on greater responsibility and make more contributions. The goals we have set for ourselves will make us different from all those whose rise preceded ours.”

India’s Vision

The last five years have been phenomenal for Bharat in terms when it comes becoming a major influencer in global geopolitics. Never in history have the geopolitical seasons changed as quickly as the West is faced with political and social turmoil that is compromising its superstructure.

For India, to become a major influencer in global geopolitics it must proactively leverage its economic, strategic, and soft power assets effectively, while also addressing internal challenges. To start with India must be a prominent power in South Asia enhance its influence and contribute to peace and development in the broader Indo-Pacific region.

India must use its unique position to be part of multilateral forums such as the Quad, BRICS, and G20, to tackle a wide range of global issues. Also, a time will come when India will have to play an active role as a security provider in the region and beyond and use its resources for counterterrorism.

The exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies enriched India's economy and contributed to its cultural and intellectual development in the past, it must be repeated.

For nearly one thousand years, India has not been able to leverage its geographical location. With the work that has been put into the “India Middle East Europe corridor,” India can be the logistic and transit hub for Asia enhancing strategic importance in geopolitical affairs. Our proximity to major energy routes, such as the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca, enhances its role in global energy security and maritime trade.

India’s strategic location along the ancient trade routes again must be leveraged, so it can again become a centre of trade and commerce. The exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies enriched India’s economy and contributed to its cultural and intellectual development in the past, it must be repeated.

Quest for a Developed Nation in 25 Years

Crafting a path for India to become a developed nation within 25 years involves a multifaceted approach addressing various sectors and challenges. Here’s a broad outline:

Economic Growth and Structural Reforms: Implementing policies for inclusive economic growth, focusing on sectors like manufacturing, technology, and services improving ease of doing business, and encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation.

Infrastructure Development: Investing in infrastructure such as transportation, energy, and communication networks that include both urban and rural development projects to bridge the infrastructure gap.

Manufacturing and Industry: With a large and growing workforce, India must not waste the demographic advantage and use it to its full potential to become a manufacturing hub for industries such as automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. Also, the “Make in India” initiative must further attract investment and promote domestic manufacturing, creating employment opportunities.

Education and Skill Development: We must emphasize on skill development and vocational training to meet the demands of a modern economy. More money from the GDP must be invested in research and development to drive innovation.

Healthcare and Social Welfare: Strengthening healthcare systems to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services to all citizens. This includes expanding healthcare infrastructure, improving healthcare delivery, and investing in public health initiatives. Also, the government must seriously work towards expanding Ayurveda to revive Indian culture, heritage, and satvik lifestyle which is the original concept of balance between humans and nature.

Environmental Sustainability: Implementing policies to address environmental challenges such as pollution, climate change, and natural resource depletion. To make this happen, we must look at our past and learn sustainable agriculture practices, and conservation efforts to preserve India’s natural resources for future generations.

Governance and Institutional Reforms: There is an unimpeachable need for reforming and strengthening governance mechanisms, promoting transparency, and combating corruption to ensure efficient and accountable governance. This reform particularly applies to the judiciary, bureaucracy, and law enforcement agencies which must follow the rule of law and not rule by law and protect citizens’ rights.

Achieving the goal of becoming a developed nation in 25 years requires sustained commitment, long-term planning, and collaboration across sectors and stakeholders. It would involve overcoming various challenges mostly internal and adapting to evolving global dynamics.

India as a Developed Nation vis-a-vis Contemporary Developed Countries

The interplay between internal developments and external interactions laid the foundation for India’s rich and diverse heritage, which continues to shape its identity in the modern world. And as India grows economically it is obvious it will also grow militarily. Without strength, there is no security, stability respect, and fear.  

Chanakya the great Indian philosopher, economist, and political strategist stressed the importance of a well-equipped and disciplined military for ensuring the security and stability of the state. He was uncompromising when it came to maintaining a strong army essential for both defence against external threats and maintaining internal order. However, he also cautioned against excessive reliance on military strength and emphasized the need for diplomatic and non-military means to achieve strategic goals. This is a balance India must strike and not end up becoming like the United States.

Our policy has to be pragmatic with the strength and willingness to adjust strategies according to the evolving geopolitical landscape when it comes to our behaviour towards contemporary developed countries. 

Oscar Wilde, the great Irish writer wrote, “America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.” So we mustn’t fall into this trap and we must behave with compassion, and reasonable restraint and become adaptable and flexible in the face of changing circumstances. Our policy has to be pragmatic with the strength and willingness to adjust strategies according to the evolving geopolitical landscape when it comes to our behaviour towards contemporary developed countries. 

Conclusion

Contemporary geopolitics has been shaped by the Second World War, the end of colonialism, the rise, the in-between, and the end of the Cold War. However, after the end of the Cold War, the world rapidly changed from a unipolar to a multipolar world due to the weakening influence of the United States, and the rise of more economically and militarily assertive China engaged in its project ‘Pax Sinica’. Meanwhile, India has been quietly working towards regaining its place in the world order and in that process effected an equitable redistribution of power on the global stage.

To further complicate matters, the idea of interdependence and global cooperation had taken a setback with the 2008 global financial crisis, Brexit demolishing the ideological and institutional foundation of the European Union exposing the fragility of global economic interdependence. However, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that exposed global economic interdependence and how countries are focusing more on regional cooperation casting a tall shadow on globalization leading to protectionism.

The other factors driving the geopolitics in the contemporary world are economic policies are no longer the basis of economic principles; but have now been taken over by strategic considerations, as countries, such as the UK, US, Germany, and India have introduced trade restrictions, investment screening mechanisms, sanctions, and monetary policies to reflect these new considerations. The credit for the trade restriction, however, must go to China’s dazzling growth that did not lead to a full-fledged institutional convergence with neoliberalism and its model of perverse global integration.

India will be walking a fine balance between multilateralism^[ii] while preserving national interests as our trust in multilateralism was shaken at the UN in 1948. But it seems the stars have aligned and India is now in a position of being ‘Ajaatashatru’ of the developing and developed world forging friendships on different but equal terms. Therefore it must leverage its multi-aligned policy using its growing geo-economic, political, military, natural-geographical, socio-geographical and cultural connections and must draw our knowledge from our civilizational ethos.

_{(The author is a freelance writer and has published articles on defence and strategic affairs and book reviews. He tweets @LaxmanShriram78. The opinion expressed is the author’s own)}

References:

[i] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/in-the-quarter-century-of-amrit-kaal-it-would-be-logical-that-india-also-seek-to-be-a-global-power-jaishankar/articleshow/103979321.cms?from=mdr

[ii] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-a-bridging-power-in-many-ways-jaishankar/article67875779.ece