Summary

International Relations Class 21

COUNTRIES/GROUPS OF COUNTRIES DEMANDING UNSC PERMANENT MEMBERSHIP (5:21 PM):

I. G4 Countries:

India, Japan, Germany, and Brazil demand permanent UNSC membership.
Their demand is opposed by countries of Coffee Club/United For Consensus (UFC) club which is led by Italy and comprises around 40 countries like Pakistan, South Korea, Argentina, Canada, etc.
Coffee Club calls for consensus before any decision is taken with respect to the size and form of the reform of UNSC.
The Coffee Club contests the regional leadership claims of the G4 countries.
Indian candidature is opposed by Pakistan.
German candidature is opposed by Italy and Spain.
Japan’s candidature is opposed by China and Australia.
Canada, Australia, etc. are opposed to developing countries in general as they are net aid providers.
Coffee Club asserts that the G4 are not even regional powers, yet they claim global power.
G 4 countries have accepted willingness to have permanent memberships without Veto for 15 years.
However, Coffee Club is still unhappy and has passed a resolution calling for a consensus before their candidature is accepted.
The resolution was called the Uniting For Consensus resolution.
Any change in permanent membership would need a 2/3rd majority in UNGA as per article 108 of the UN Charter.
UNSC permanent membership is the most exclusive and powerful club of the UNO.

In the early 1990s, the USA was pushing to grant permanent UNSC membership to Germany & Japan.
This was because the USA wanted to reduce its burden of funding the UN.
India objected to the step by stating that "the UNSC permanent membership was not for sale".
Germany and Japan also contributed financially to the first Gulf War in 1990.

II. African Union :

The African Union seeks two permanent seats in the UNSC with a veto.
Their demand is led by C- 10: It is a committee of ten countries led by Sierra Leone.
However, there is a lack of consensus with respect to which two countries of the African Union will gain permanent seats.
Also through the Ezulwini Consensus & Sirte Declaration, they have agreed that they will not accept permanent membership of the UNSC without a Veto.
However, there is no clarity as to which two African countries will hold the permanent seat in the UNSC.
It is expected that the seats will be held by the AU to be rotated amongst its member countries.

III. L-69 Countries:

It consists of 42 developing countries, including SIDS- Small Island Developing States.
India and Brazil are among their members.

India first raised the demand for permanent UNSC membership after the 1971 victory over Pakistan.
India emerged as the undisputed leader of South Asia.
After Operation Poomalai in 1987 in Sri Lanka, India reinforced its regional dominance.

Their aim is comprehensive UNSC reforms.
It recognizes that any lack of reforms in progress in the UN will have serious implications for the credibility of the UN.

Demands of L-69:

It demands comprehensive reforms of the UNSC membership.
They demand the expansion of permanent and non-permanent membership of the UNSC.
They demand representation of SIDS, which comprise 20% of the total UN membership.
They demand reform in the working methods of the UN.

IV. Organization of Islamic Countries:

It demands a permanent seat for an Islamic country.
Their claims are unlikely to succeed as there is no provision for religious representation in the UNSC.

VETO reforms:

It has become a cause of deadlock in the UNSC, therefore Veto reforms are suggested.
We could also see a similar deadlock regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.

Suggestions:

Abolishing the veto power of the P-5 countries is improbable.
Whenever the UNSC is expanded, the new permanent members should not be given veto powers.
This is because more veto power holders would mean more chances of deadlock.
Most country's representatives must face elections in their own nations.
They will choose selfish political interests over long-term global or even national interests.
There should be restrictions introduced in the use of Veto powers of the P 5.
Veto must be used on matters concerning the core national interests of the P 5 countries.
Core interests relate to territorial integrity and security.

Other procedural reforms:

Transparency in the functioning of the UNSC.
Better coordination with the UN General Assembly.
In case of a deadlock in the UNSC, the UNGA must override the UNSC and take necessary actions.
Consult the troop-contributing countries before deciding on the deployment of the peacekeeping missions.

INDIAN CANDIDATURE TO UNSC AS PERMANENT MEMBER (6:05 PM):

Reasons why India seeks permanent membership:

It will establish India as an undisputed global power.
India has for long nurtured the ambition to secure itself a rightful place in the comity of nations as a great civilizational power.
Permanent members have a say in the internal workings of the UN.
They are the primary rule-makers in the UN.
With Veto powers:
(a) India can ensure that the UN is not misused against India’s interests.
(b)Presently India relies on France and Russia to veto resolutions threatening Indian national interests.
(c) India will gain strategic leverage in its relations with other countries as for instance, China is important in Myanmar's strategic calculus

India demands permanent UNSC membership on the following grounds:

India’s size in terms of area and population; is 1/6th of humanity.
India is the fifth largest economy in nominal GDP terms(at around $3.25 trillion) and the third largest in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms.
India has one of the largest militaries in the world.
It has the world's fourth-largest army, seventh-largest navy, and third-strongest largest airforce.
India is a de facto and responsible nuclear power state.
India is an active participant in UN peacekeeping missions.
India is the leader in developing countries/Global South.
India is the world’s largest functioning liberal constitutional democracy.
India has one of the largest cultural diversities present in any nation.
The unique constitutional commitment to international peace and law- DPSP article 51.
Civilizational values are conducive to world peace such as Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha, etc.

BENEFITS TO UNSC AFTER INDIAN MEMBERSHIP (6:30 PM):

Indian inclusion will make the UNSC more representative due to its position in the global south.
India is a non-aligned country that takes principled stands on international issues based on merits.
This would impart greater legitimacy to the UNSC.
India can act as a bridge between the two rival bocks of P-5(USA, France, UK(P3) – China, Russia(P2).
This is because India is one country in the world that has good relations with both Russia and the West.
No country in terms of civilizational values and constitutional ideals is as close to the goals of the UNSC as India.
Thus, Indian membership will impart credibility and legitimacy to the UNSC, and therefore the UN.

Steps were taken by India in this regard:

India is developing as well as strengthening partnerships with developed and developing countries through groups such as G4, L-69, etc.
4 of the P-5 countries except China support India’s candidature.
India has served as a Non-Permanent of UNSC 8 times, and each time India has been elected with overwhelming support.
Only once did India lose the bid for non-permanent UNSC membership in 1996 by Japan.
India is willing to accept a semi-permanent member of the UNSC.
It is a new category of membership suggested by a group of experts.
Semi-permanent members would be elected for a period of 8-10 years and would be eligible for re-election.
India is ready to join the UNSC, with or without a Veto.
India is an important member of the L-69 group which seeks comprehensive membership reforms.

Way Forward:

UNSC membership reform would require an amendment to the UN Charter.
Article 108 of the charter specifies that any amendment would require the consent of 2/3rd of the total membership, including concurring votes of the P-5.
It means that each P-5 country has a veto over the process.
P-5 is the most exclusive power club in the world whose membership has been unchanged since 1945.
Thus, any such amendment to the UN Charter or expansion of the UNSC membership would be a challenging task.
Until such an opportunity presents itself, India should focus on its own internal development rather than spending all its diplomatic and political energy in this race to 'superstardom'.

INDIA-LATIN AMERICA-CARIBBEAN (7:00 PM):

The Caribbean is further divided into greater and lesser Antilles.
One of the very important lesser Antilles islands is Trinidad and Tobago which has a rich Indian diaspora.
Hispaniola Island is divided into two countries Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Important organizations of the region:

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) :

It is an intergovernmental mechanism for dialogue and political agreement, which includes permanently thirty-two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is a regional forum that brings together all of Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

Mercosur:

MERCOSUR is a trading bloc in the South American region comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
It was formed in 1991 with the objective of free movement of goods, services, capital, and people and became a customs union in January 1995.

Pacific Alliance:

This alliance is of the nations that share a coast with the Pacific Ocean.
The members include Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Mexico.
Ecuador is not a member because of the Andes mountains.

Andean community:

The Andean Community is a trade bloc of four countries - Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
It is a customs union, like the Eurasian Economic Union (Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia).
In a customs union, members have a free trade agreement among themselves and they have a common external tariff for the rest nations.

Importance of Latin America & Caribbean(LAC) for India:

Energy security:

Latin America accounts for 15% of India’s crude oil imports mainly from Mexico, Columbia, and Venezuela.
Such imports are important because:
It allows India to lessen its dependence on oil from politically volatile OPEC countries which operate as a cartel and charge Asian Premium.

Cooperation on Climate change:

Several LAC countries are members of the India-led International Solar Alliance.
Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina hold most of the lithium reserves in the world and are referred to as Lithium Triangle.
With India’s plans to roll out electric vehicles, it would require lithium supplies that are used in the batteries of such vehicles, and India does not have substantial lithium reserves.

Food security:

Latin America is five times the size of India with only half as much population.
It has large tracts of fertile land which can be cultivated for India’s food security.
Indian private entities are leasing land there and cultivating it.

Trade and investment:

India has a Preferential Trade Agreement with Chile and Mercursor.
An FTA is being negotiated with Peru.
Indian companies have invested in greenfield and brownfield projects in LAC.

Geo-Political importance:

It comprises more than 33 countries, and hence their support is essential to help India achieve its global ambitions such as permanent membership in the UNSC.
Also, LAC and India share common goals vis-à-vis climate change, global trade, as well as terrorism.
Thus, they can aid each other in global negotiations at global platforms like WTO, UNFCC, etc.

Evolution of India-LAC relations:

South America is considered the forgotten continent for the Indian foreign policy.
The relations suffer from "out of sight out of mind" syndrome.
Distance and language barriers have traditionally been believed as the main reasons for the diplomatic distance.

EVOLUTION OF INDIA-LAC RELATIONS: (7:30 PM):

I. Cold War Phase- 1950-1990:

We were indifferent in relations despite shared colonial history and being developing nations.
We were in different camps during the Cold War.
India was an inward-looking nation- pessimistic towards exports and we focussed on import substitution.
The energy needs were met from West Asia.
So there was no reason as such to engage with one another.
We saw some engagement in UNGA, NAM, G-77, etc.
Indira Gandhi visited LAC which she referred to as the "Voyage of Discovery".

II. After the Cold War:

Not much emphasis for almost two decades till 2010.
We see a growing emphasis on trade relations
This was an example of "Flag (government) following trade (private sector)".
in 2011, the Inter-America Development Bank 2011 announced that India would be LAC's "next big thing".
CELAC( formed in 2010) held its outreach summit in New Delhi in 2012.
In 2016, the UN Economic Commission for LAC suggested immense economic potential between India and LAC.

China in Latin America:

China started Food security, energy security, raw materials, etc.
The most important reason is to counter American dominance in its sphere.

Evidences of China in Latin America:

China-LAC trade stands at around $ 253 billion.
China has replaced the EU as the second largest trading partner of LAC; the first is still the USA.
Chinese target for bilateral trade by 2025 is $500 billion, and $250 billion in investments.
India-LAC trade is at around $30-$ 50 billion.

Examples of Chinese investments in the region:

Canal Project in Nicaragua:
The Trans-Oceanic railway will connect an Atlantic port in Brazil to a Pacific port in Peru.
China has appointed special envoys for specific sectors.
China has published many political and policy papers on its vision in the region.
China got benefits from bad relations and American sanctions over Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Differences in Indian and Chinese approaches in South America:

Chinese Approach	Indian Approach
China practices extractive foreign relations- mineral mining for its industries.	Pushes capacity building or engagement with medium-small enterprises, and skill development.
Elite-level wealth creation; has very little effect on common people.	Indian companies have created local employment there.
The final Chinese aim is to turn LAC into a source of raw materials and a destination for dumping its goods	India aims for long-term and mutually beneficial engagement.

Challenges with the Indian approach in the region:

China in Latin America.

Very little high-level engagement:

Very few visits of head of state.

Very less diplomatic presence:

Till 2019, Indian diplomatic presence was limited to only 15 LAC countries; China has in all the countries.

No institutionalization of relations:

No ASEAN, SAARC, or India-Africa Forum Summits, like bodies.
India has not come out with any policy paper on Latin America.

Less media coverage:

It hampers public perception.

Regional rivalry:

Both Brazil and Argentina project themselves as a local leader.
As a result, Argentina also opposes the Indian bid for a permanent UNSC seat.

Role of external powers:

American sanctions made India stop crude imports from Venezuela.

Way Forward:

Increasing high-level cooperation and diplomatic presence.
Institutionalizing our presence.
India must not be under pressure from third countries.
India must follow its longstanding principle of following only UN sanctions.
Bolster connectivity through direct flights, and ships must be promoted through maybe shouldering vessel insurance.
Study of Latin American languages in Indian universities.

The topics for the next class are regional organizations- BRICS, G 20.