‘NATO plus five’
It is a grouping of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and five countries.
The arrangement currently exists between the U.S, its NATO partners and five countries: Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel.
The group works toward boosting global defence cooperation.
The U.S. Senate’s India Caucus to push for ‘NATO plus five’ status for India.
External Affairs Minister, India however, had already rejected the framework for India.
It is to enhance “global defence cooperation” and win the “strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party”.
The term ‘NATO Plus’ is not an officially recognised or established concept within NATO itself, but has been used in discussions and debates regarding the potential expansion of the alliance.
The inclusion of these countries as members would require a complex process of negotiation and assessment of their compatibility with NATO’s principles, obligations, and defence commitments.
While NATO’s earlier target was the Soviet Union and now Russia.
The focus of NATO Plus is clearly on containing China.
Therefore, considering its disputes with China, India remains a missing link in the framework.
Benefits for India by becoming a member of NATO Plus
Provide it with a security umbrella, with protection and deterrence against potential threats.
India would gain access to seamless intelligence sharing between these countries.
India would get access to the latest military technology without much of a time lag.
It would further strengthen India’s defence partnership with the United States.
Challenges for India
Getting into any NATO framework will annoy Russia and China.
Relations with Russia:
Apart from the robust strategic partnership, Russia has been useful to India in dealing with regional security challenges and, importantly, moderating the stance of China.
Even though Russia is getting over-dependent on China, post the war in Ukraine, Moscow remains a valuable partner for India.
Should it join, in one stroke, India’s solidified strategic partnership with Russia will crumble.
Balancing these relationships and managing potential geopolitical consequences would be a significant challenge for India.
China’s threat:
While aligning with a U.S.-led alliance system may be tempting due to the threats posed by China, it could ultimately prove counterproductive and detrimental.
Having a military framework will limit India’s freedom of action and prevent it from pursuing an independent policy towards China.
At a time when India has its own bilateral issues with China and a strategy for the Indo-Pacific, hopping into the Taiwan strategy of the U.S. under NATO Plus will complicate India’s security.
Possibility of Chinese justification for further military build-up along the India-China border and frequent intrusion.
India’s strategic autonomy:
India has traditionally maintained a policy of strategic autonomy, allowing it to engage with various nations and blocs based on its own interests.
Joining a NATO framework would require India to align its defence and security policies with the objectives and strategies of the alliance, thereby potentially undermining India’s autonomy.
NATO Plus membership could also limit its flexibility in engaging with other regional powers.
India’s priorities
India’s priorities lie in addressing its own regional dynamics that includes a unique set of security challenges such as border disputes, terrorism, and regional conflicts.
NATO’s larger geopolitical agenda starting from Eurasia to the Indo-Pacific may divert resources and attention away from the pressing issues of India.
For the time being, India’s posturing through the Quad (India, Japan, Australia and the U.S.; the Asian NATO as per China) looks more promising than the NATO Plus bait, though China remains an elephant in the room during its summits.
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