04/06/2020 - International Relations

KEY POINTS

·         In the global diplomatic arena, Australia punches way above its weight. Its armed forces, hardened by international combat, are widely respected. Canberra’s intelligence establishment is valued in many parts of the world.

·         Australia has deep economic, political and security connections with the ASEAN and a strategic partnership with one of the leading non-aligned nations, Indonesia. Canberra has a little “sphere of influence” of its own — in the South Pacific.

·         The Indian diaspora — now estimated at nearly 7,00,000— is the fastest growing in Australia and has become an unexpected positive factor in bilateral relations.

·         Common membership of many groupings like the G-20, East Asia Summit, IORA, and the Quad has increased the possibilities for diplomatic cooperation on regional and global issues.

·         The current downturn in the global economy certainly limits the immediate possibilities for realising the full potential of commercial relations between India and Australia.

·         But there are a host of emerging issues from reforming the World Health Organisation to 5G technology and from strengthening the international solar alliance to building resilience against climate change and disasters that lend themselves to intensive bilateral political and institutional engagement.

·         Eastern Indian Ocean, connecting the two oceans, is at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. This is where Delhi and Canberra can initiate a full range of joint activities, including on maritime domain awareness, development of strategically located islands and marine scientific research.

·         Finally, there is the less discussed role of Britain, which wants to return to the oriental seas. In the east, Britain continues to lead the so-called Five Power Defence Arrangement set up back in 1971, after Britain pulled back most of its forces from the East of Suez.

·         The FPDA brings together the armed forces of the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

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 The growing importance of the Indian and Pacific Oceans have given new momentum to the ‘Indo-Pacific’ as a geostrategic construct where, India and Australia are particularly prominent players. 

           Minilateralism and bilateralism are becoming  more prominent security trend in contemporary Indo-Pacific geopolitics to

facilitates rapid decision-making and in realizing mutual security objectives.   

>>> How Delhi and Canberra can normalize the growing geopolitical imbalance in the Indo-Pacific ?

- POLITICS AND DIPLOMACY : This would provide an opportunity to deepen personal relationships at the highest level and engage in a strategic conversation about shared interests and concerns like - disaster relief, search-and-rescue, and collective maritime safety and security. 

- ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT : Any cooperation between the two will not be sustainable without closer economic collaboration. Their shared prosperity lies within the Indo-Pacific region and in collaborating to strengthen the regional economic architecture. 

- MARITIME DOMAIN : Strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific depends on the ability to respond to the challenges in the maritime domain. The challenges are multi-faceted and transnational: sea-borne terrorism, piracy, climate change, natural and man-made disasters, and the proliferation of maritime disputes and flash-points across the Indo-Pacific region.

>>> Challenges in the path :

- While India and Australia share strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, they do not necessarily agree on the methods of defending or advancing those interests. Both have different foreign-policy outlooks.

- Another challenge will be to show the need and credibility of a minilateral and bilateral ties, since there are existing platforms where the two countries work together, e.g. the East Asia Summit, IORA, Quad and G-20.

>>> Conclusion :

The long-term strategic stability of the Indo-Pacific thus depends to a significant degree of cooperation to ensure a regional order that delivers peace, stability and prosperity.

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