Indian role in changing global order

   “geography make us neighbours.history make us friends.economy make us partners.necessity make us allies.so why to break the notions of world created by god himself?”

       j.f. kennedy ,the former usa president had said these words summarizing the beauty of relationships among nation states of these times which are not only determined by static realities of geography and history but also by dynamism of economy and necessity.when he was saying these words ,a new nation that is india ,was rising in south asia after a long period of colonial domination and years of painful partition.india as well as world of today is tremendously different from what it was a few decades back and its imperative now to look at the question of whether india has maintained its pace with the rest of world or not?

                   Global order is in effect the balance of power as well as embodiment of values of peace and prosperity among nations as well as States.change is fundamental property of this order but the speed at which change is happening is quite robust in today’s time than it was in the past.

        Issue of strong Indian role in this scenario is gaining ground because of the confidence with which world is looking towards it in fields spaning from culture to security and philosophy to practice.recent electoral verdict in this largest democracy of world ,which have voicedthe will of 121 crore people in support of stable government is acting as a catalyst in that direction.

                   Indian role in changing global order needs to be looked at like a travelogue.it needs to be seen how much and in what way change is going on and how india had played a role in itand what can be done to increase Indian contribution to global reality?

                               First and foremost ,in political field,the most important change world has witnessed is rising wave of democracy .whether it be arab spring which had rocked the thrones of arab monarchs in favour of democracy or higher voter turnout in Afghanistan even after the warnings of extremists ,it all points to the fact as bluntly told by a western commentator pointing his finger at dictators of theworld that”power they took from the people will return back to the people”this is not just the power to rule but it’s the power to voice their grievances and concerns to a replaceable authority whose replacement will also be decided by people themselves.

                 Indian role in democracy in not just astonishing but worth emulating.this country in its very first elections,conducted under the able leadership of first chief election commissioner shri sukumar sen had shown to world that democracy is not the prerogative of rich but it’s the right of all.whether be it the construction of parliaments of Afghanistan or Bhutan or sending electoral officers to guide the nascent democracied of Africa to the path of ideal of democracy,india had played a keen role.

                                           Second important change the world is witnessing is in the social sphere and that is growing of equality between man and woman as well as rise of invisibles until now.woman are making their mark in every field whether be it the presidentship of brazil or germany ,chairmanship of top companies like pepsico or that of international organizations like international monetary fund ,women are coming forward stronger than ever.but there is dark side too.recent united nations report showing that more than 50% of women are still suffering of domestic violence.world economic forum has pointed to otherwise gloomy picture of women rise by showing up the data on discrimination with women at work place.but still after three concrete feminist movements world had witnessed in all these years has improved the position of women.

                                         Invisibles are the other class whose rise in social sphere is encouraging in today’s world.these invisibles are those who were discriminated till now like black people of united states of America or poor and downtrodden of latin America or former slaves in some countries.when a person of black race becomes president of usa or when a truck driver rise upto position of head of state of Venezuela or when the head of Liberia,a country populated by former slaves,rise upto speak at united nations auspices ,it itself shows that world has changed.

                                                                   Indian role in social sphere realities of world is marked by cautious optimism .though it was the india ,who had given the right of vote to women at the time,when western nations were discussing on such a radical measure in their language.but india is also a country often  deemed as rape epidemic centre of world and such a preposition need introspection .when it comes to tthe right of invisibles till now,india had taken a lead and had written down article against untouchability in its constitution.not only this,Indian notion of ‘one person one vote ‘ and ‘one vote one value’ along with land reforms it pursued after independence had given push to its downtrodden.but still india is a country where 35% people of its so called lower castes are in poverty compared to 12% of upper castes.

                                                                Thirdly it’s the economic sphere in which the world is undergoing a significant change.rise of developing economies is a major implication of this change.recent human development report with title ‘rise of the south’ has pointed towards this fact that combined wealth of countries from developing world had crossed that of developed world.like it was agriculture in feudal times or industry at times of renaissance ,it’s the service sector which is the currency of today.developing countries have tapped this sector efficiently with their high demographic dividend nd thrust to education.globlization of trade had acted as game changer in all this with a robust dispute redress mechanism of wto which have upholded rights of poor nations against rich countries and so helping them in achieving their capabilities.

                                                                               Indian role in this sphere cn be gauged from the very fact that india is deemed as growth engine of this world.high demographic dividend along with independent judiciary and stabilityis all that needed for promoting growth.economic stability of indi t the time of 2008 global financial crisis nakes the world confidant in Indian capabilities.but changing global order in economic field is demanding for india and china both to be partners with each other and with the world as whole to create a favourable condition for future economic powerhouse.

                                                             The other major arena in which world is witnessing a change is the matter of security.rise of china as an aggressive entity,decline in the power of usa owing to its domestic pressures as well as its long drawn engagement in middle east,rise of state sponsored terrorism s well as ideology linked terrorism are the biggest challenges to be faced by the global order.

                                      China’s influence is a valid concern not because of the fact that its quite tremendous and that too in short time but because of its expansionist tendencies.whether it  be the south china sea islands dispute with south east asian nations or east china sea disputes with japan or land border conflicts with india,Chinese response has been vocal and authoritarian like instituting oil rig near to Vietnam or air free zone near to disputed islands with japan or issuing stapled visa to persons from arunachal Pradesh.

                                     Usa ,the only superpower left after disintegration of ussr,is facing its own distinct challenges at home as well as abroad.financial problems that got exaggerated after 2008 financial crisis as well as fall of its credibility specially in the eyes of middle east people because of its frequent realiging with dictators of the region,is strongly hurting its position as global super power.japan’s recent reinterpretation of its constitution by which it has given more power to its rmed self defence forces is clearly indicative of its cautious reliance on the usa who had promised it protection at times of conflict.

                                                           Then there is the rise of state sponsored terrorism,the concern of which was expressed by Indian prime minister at recently concluded united nations general assembly.whether be it the instability in Afghanistan or Ukraine or even india ,this kind of terrorism owing to its vast supply of money and arms is proving to be more serious to tackle.global order has changed so much so in the field of terrorism specilly fter9/11 attacks on usa that problem of terrorism now a days,not deemed as law and order problem as was some decades back but as a challenge to very existence of human race.ideology linked terrorism is other branch of terrorism whose propelling fuel is provided by extremist ideology like wahabism for the recent rise of isis.

                                                             Indian role in such a global order had been supportive ,enthusiastic as well as protective.india had been able to position itself as an alternative power in asia other than china.asean’s response to engage with india for collective security in region is a testimony of this fact.usa has also voiced its willingness for engaging with india in its so called pivot for asia pacific.in the field of anti terrorism ,india had been supportive because its itself a victim of terrorism.india had supported the global war against terrorism when it provided naval ships in indin ocean,in their endeavour against terrorism hubs.indian support is phenomenal in case of Afghanistan so that it don’t fall back to terrorists again specially fter the withdrawl of usa forces.this was even appreciated by afghans themselves.

                                Indian role in this changing global order though is quite appreciative but still there needs more to be done in Indian context so tht its contribution materilises into a peaceful world as well as to make it prosperous.

                             First thing india needs to do is to make its democracy much more vibrant by instilling the necessary reforms.along with it,india needs to support those nascent democracies who just fall back to dictatorship again.the effective and efficient use of un peacekeeping forces ,to which india is the largest contributor,can be very useful in in this regard.india should act as lighthouse of democracy not only for its neighbours but for whole of world.

                                                          Secondly india needs to bring reforms in its social sphere and present to the world a better picture of cohesiveness as per its social ideal of ‘vasudeva katumbkm” which implies that ‘whole world is my family”.improving position of women in society,helping downtrodden to rise and shine,making a child realize his or her potential is the need of the hour.in short term,laws nd policies can help in this regard but in long term ,its only the education which will bring a long lasting change.

         Thirdly it’s the economic sphere in which india has to shed its pacifist tendencies relating to business by private entrepreneurs and has to take the opportunity presented by this changing global order in economy field.recently launched make in india campaign in india is a welcome step in this regard.india needs to thrust upon the domestic private entrepreneurship along with making economy of scale a possibility.

                          Then comes the security sphere in which india has to play for bigger change in global order.reforms at un security council,when its going to attain its 70 th anniversary are very much needed and indi should pursue it not only for its own benefit but for the collective global security.to balance out the other rising power in asia,india needs to bind up with its neighbours more strongly so that balance of power can be maintained.indian support to anti terrorism should be based on geographical realities and focus should also be shifted to funding part of these terrorist organizations.

                                In the wider meaning ,though global reality is changing like the introduction of democracy in some areas or rise of developing economies or rise of oppressed or drastic security challenges,yet Indian response had been that of an active,responsible and a benevolent nation.

                                                                  Having said that,it can be concluded with optimism that coming times will be more peaceful and progressive not because there will be end to human suffering but because there will be beginning of end to humn suffering.for such a world,india needs to build towards that global order which is reflective of human needs nd aspirations. Beautiful thought of mahatma Gandhi ,which can be a guiding lamp for the world is-“the future depends on what we do in the present”.

       Hopefully ,the future of world will be bright with all its nations as allies and people as partners in each other’s development with india playing the role of a thread binding the pearls of these friends.