SSB SPECIAL: BENEFITS OF INDIA AS A SCO MEMBER

The decision to include India, along with Pakistan, as permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has been announced during the SCO Summit (9-10 July) at Ufa, Russia. The process for formal inclusion into SCO will take place in 2016.

SCO has China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as permanent members, while India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mongolia have held ‘Observer’ status. Countries included as ‘Dialogue Partners’ are Turkey, Belarus and Sri Lanka.

The growing political and trade significance of SCO can be judged by the fact that despite being a member of NATO, Turkey is willing to hedge its bets with SCO and may join it as a permanent member in future.

All six original members of SCO have common concerns on extremism, terrorism and separatism and have jointly committed themselves to supporting each other in fighting this growing threat. Increasing cooperation between member countries on intelligence sharing, counter terrorism and joint military training is contributing to regional stability and enhancing the role and influence of SCO in international affairs.

Today, SCO has deepened its engagement with the UN and holds Observer status at the General Assembly, European Union, Commonwealth of Independent States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and ASEAN.

With both India and Pakistan joining SCO in 2016, the organisation is set to emerge even stronger. This global entity has the potential to change the regional trade and economic dynamics significantly.

India is on its way to emerging as a significant economic and military power in the next decade. In the aftermath of World War II, India positioned itself as a Non-aligned nation that preferred not to join the US-dominated NATO or the former USSR-led Warsaw Pact, and instead chose to hold an independent political stance in international affairs. India and other like-minded nations, which included former Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Egypt and Ghana, chose to create a third platform, the Non Aligned Movement (NAM).

With time and changing international order in the post-Cold War period, NAM, along with the Commonwealth of Nations, has lost its political influence and relevance. With SCO now emerging as a strong body, nations like Iran, Turkey and Sri Lanka are keen to explore the benefits of joining the organisation.

An Opportunity to Resolve Border Disputes

India has had to contend with border disputes with China and Pakistan, both of which have had long standing close ties. This has had an impeding influence for India in strengthening its economic ties with countries in Central Asia. India has been seeking to enhance its energy security and increase in trade, by opening up new transit routes to Central Asian countries.

While India has taken the initiative in settling the border dispute with Bangladesh, the recent decision to open transit facility for free movement goods between India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan is likely to see all stakeholder nations benefiting from the enhanced regional trade.

The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and freeze in dialogue between Pakistan and India, have come in the way of developing the South Asian cooperation that can significantly improve the economic situation in not just Pakistan and India, but in all SAARC countries.

Stalled Multilateral Projects Can Get Going

For several years now, the Iran-Pakistan-India oil pipeline has been in discussion but no progress has been made on account of security concerns. Similarly, the proposed project between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India has been stalled. With both Pakistan and India now joining SCO, it is very likely that either or both projects may finally take off. Both projects have the potential to significantly enhance the energy scenario in the region, while boosting regional cooperation and trade between stakeholder countries. With countries in SCO holding vast reserves of natural resources, the potential for India is immense.

India, with its fast emerging economy and vast coastline, can open new access to sea trade for SCO countries and can play an important role in balancing the security, trade and political order that is now emerging between members of SCO on one side, and the US-led NATO/EU nations, on the other.

Another important parallel development is the establishment of the BRICS Bank that will be officially named as ‘New Development Bank’ (NDB), established with an initial capital fund of $100 billion. This is an initiative of China that aims to counter the influence of US dominated IMF and World Bank. With SCO members China, Russia and now India, NDB is likely to emerge as a major financial body in future, and as membership increases, it will increasingly exert its influence on global economic policy and international trade. India will now be in a position to reclaim its international stature that it lost with NAM being rendered irrelevant.

SCO Can Tame a Belligerent Pakistan

In the new world order, the US has largely abandoned its unstinted support to Pakistan, and China has now emerged as its financial and diplomatic mentor. With US in the process of vacating Afghanistan, China, along with Russia and Pakistan, is likely to play an increasing role in Afghanistan. This could have resulted in India being left out of the emerging Central Asian politics.

In 2016, as India and Pakistan formalise their permanent member status of SCO, China and Russia are likely to play an important role in influencing Pakistan to tone down its belligerent attitude towards India and work towards resolving outstanding issues. Likewise, under the new relationship as members of SCO, China, too, will have to come around and work towards settling the border dispute with India. If India succeeds in settling outstanding issues with both Pakistan and China, the potential to jumpstart economic development in the entire South Asian region is immense.

With the emergence of SCO, Asia is on its way of reclaim its status as a global power centre that it once was. And India will have a major role to play.

SSB SPECIAL: WHY AFGHANISTAN IS SO SPECIAL FOR INDIA??????

 Bilateral relation between republic of INDIA and AFGHANISTAN has been strong and close over these years. republic of INDIA was the first country to recognize the soviet backed republic of AFGHANISTAN in the year of 1980's. however in the 1990's era the relation between these countries got diminished as the political hue and cry in AFGHANISTAN was overtaken by the Taliban govt. who was backed by the Islamist country i.e; PAKISTAN. in order to restore the friendly relation between these countries INDIA provided financial aid to the UN where UN entered in 2001 and by the end of majority of the Talibani leaders were killed or were arrested that again accelerated the relation between these countries and INDIA provided AFGHANISTAN for its reconstruction and developmental projects.

 INDIA sign a bilateral strategic relation between these two countries in 2011 and form that time AFGHANISTAN has became the second largest recipient of financial assistance from INDIA. Now the question arise that why AFGHANISTAN is important for INDIA, for your curiosity these following points will help to end your hunger to know:-

1.As INDIA has done a bilateral strategic relation with AFGHANISTAN so INDIA has became committed to help them so by the end of 2014 INDIA has provided with $ 2 bn, INDIA is committed for modernization of afghan defense by latest arms and equipment's and through joint military program mes.

2. AFGHANISTAN is vital for the revival of silk route that will connect INDIA with the central Asian countries for trade and energy resources in this context INDIA has already started working in this direction through TAPI project which is 735 km long gas pipeline that will connect the four countries TURKMENISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, AND INDIA.

3. As INDIA is a developing country we need energy and this energy demand can be satisfied by Afghanistan because the geographic condition of AFGHANISTAN is bestowed with the natural resources like iron, copper, gold etc then it also have petroleum reserves, natural gas and oil. since most of the area of AFGHANISTAN has been explored due to frequent wars insurgency so even we cannot deny the very fact that it may have more natural resources beyond our imagination.

4. many of our INDIAN companies have already invested in the mining sector of AFGHANISTAN which exceeds more than that of $ 10 bn like SAIL , GAIL etc.And other INDIAN companies are also planing to invest in the petroleum sector so it has became the need of the INDIAN companies to have security to them and this security can be provided only by the AFGHAN soldiers at cheap rate so it will not create more monetary pressure on our finance ministry and this all these will be available at cheaper rate to INDIA.

SSB SPECIAL: WHAT USA THINKS ABOUT INDIA?????

USA is one of the western country which has a very influential power round the globe. it is a developed country which has democratic form of government and is the third most populous. it has a distinct ethnicity and it is a multicultural nation. is has the world largest economy with nominal as well as real gdp.it ha an abundant natural resources and has a very high work force. it has a prominent military, cultural, and political forces, it has an image of leader in scientific research and in technology advancement. on the very other side india is the second largest population with a democratic form of government with the second largest growing economy. over the past few years a diplomatic relation in both of these government has raised in all the aspect of political , economical, social, military and etc. Now let us analyses that what are the benefits of both these nations in increasing there foreign ties????

The cornerstone of Washington’s foreign policy is to preserve its superpower hegemony for as long as possible. On its geopolitical chessboard are four key pieces: China, Russia, India and Iran.

1) China needs to be contained and Washington wants India to play a pivotal regional role in this. Hence Obama’s overtures to Modi.

2) Iran’s nuclear ambitions threaten US interests in the Middle East. Hence the unrelenting US-led sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.

3) Russia is another threat as it pushes west into Ukraine, having occupied Crimea last year. Hence, again, US-led sanctions that have shackled Russia’s economy which this year dipped into recession.

The simple truth is that India's strength and progress on the world stage is deeply in the strategic interest of the United States. Soon to be the world's most populous country and already the world's largest democracy, India is now the world's second fastest growing economy and a central player in the G-20. India plays an increasingly significant role in Asia, and on a wide range of global challenges.

Growing ties between our societies, our economies and our governments have helped sustain and accelerate India's rise. The nearly three million Indian-Americans in this country provide a powerful connection between us, as do the more than 100,000 Indian students studying in U.S. universities. Bilateral trade has more than tripled in the last decade, creating jobs and opportunities for both of us. Cooperation in counter-terrorism and defense modernization is at unprecedented levels. 

will be continued........