S Jaishankar, the Minister of external affairs, made it clear on Friday that India has no plans to join NATO, which is dominated by Western nations. The military partnership, according to Jaishankar, is inappropriate for India.[i]
The above statement makes it very clear on our stance on joining a Western alliance. But in order to understand the reason for our denial, we must first understand the background of NATO and further understand its implications on India if it ever deems to join. A United States congressional report wants India to join NATO Plus, a military alliance with “Western” states. It has urged that India join NATO Plus in order to discourage China and strengthen Taiwan’s deterrent. The question is whether India benefits from joining NATO more than the West. But what is NATO Plus and is it different from its significant alliance partner, NATO?[ii]
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, aka NATO is a military alliance of 30 odd nations, with the aim of creating a global deterrence towards military aggression towards their member nations. NATO Plus on the other hand includes five additional member nations with plausible allies of The United States of America (USA), namely: Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Israel.
If India decides to join NATO Plus, whose motto is “One for all and all for one”, this would literally mean that if one of the member nations is under attack, the other nations who are part of this alliance would unleash their military capabilities on the other nation. This would basically mean that India would be gaining access to military technology, advanced research and development, and various levels of intelligence sharing among the member nations. But this would come at a cost:
India and Russia
It will have a direct impact on New Delhi’s strong, established, and close ties with Moscow if India joins the US-led NATO alliance that is supporting Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia. The US is very committed to working towards achieving this. The US seeks to isolate Russia, obtain India’s defence contracts, and take advantage of the country’s advantageous location in the Indo-Pacific.
Strategic Autonomy
The strategic independence of India’s nuclear weapons may also be impacted by its membership in NATO. European nations worry that boosting their strategic autonomy may result in restrictions on free trade, according to a report by the European Parliament on EU strategic autonomy 2013–2023.
USA’s Military bases
India has not yet allowed a foreign military post to operate on its soil, but joining NATO Plus would eventually allow the US to establish a base there as well. Just look at the other NATO+ members, who are all currently home to US military installations. (US military installations: 24 in Japan, 15 in South Korea, 2 in Australia, 1 in Israel) India would effectively be drawn into American conflicts if it joined NATO. India will do this as little more than a pawn or follower of the US, and France, a significant NATO member state, has already voiced alarm about this.
India has explicitly stated that India as an independent nation is very much capable of tackling any Chinese aggression. Additionally, India is currently unable to enter an alliance with NATO due to the Himalayan region’s geographical separation of India from China. India also emphasizes China’s current economic problems, which undercuts the case for NATO membership in order to deter Chinese aggression and is demonstrated by decreased exports and imports. India insists that it can meet any difficulties that China may present on its own.
Therefore, if India decides to join NATO at the behest of the USA, who would gain from it? India or USA?
[i] Farena Naaz, “India capable of countering Chinese aggression, refuses to join NATO, says J Jaishankar” Mint, 9th June 2023, https://www.livemint.com/news/india-capable-of-countering-chinese-aggression-refuses-to-join-nato-says-s-jaishankar-11686288765836.html
[ii] Shivan Chanana, “India, a NATO state? Whose gain, whose loss? Wion, 5th June 2023, https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/india-a-nato-state-whose-gain-whose-loss-600030
Authored By: Partheev Banda, Research Intern, USI