Jaishankar bats for India to be UNSC permanent member - Why it's a timely, legitimate demand

Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar said that not getting a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is not “good for us” nor is it good for the global body. Calling the inclusion “overdue”, the minister once again batted for multilateralism in the global order.

In a world that is grappling with the repercussions of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and at a time when realignments are happening in global politics, India is raring to take the centre stage and analysts believe that this is the time that India should seize its moment.

Jaishankar said “I was serious when I said I was working on” the inclusion. India assumed its two-year membership as a non-permanent member of the 15-nation UNSC last year. Since then New Delhi has pursued more intently what it believes is its rightful place in the global decision-making organisation.

“We believe that transformation is overdue, because the UN is a product that was devised eighty years ago. And 80 years ago by any standards of human creativity is a long time ago. The number of independent countries has quadrupled in that period,” he said.

For a more representative UN

Even if the effectiveness of the UNSC has been questioned following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it still remains the world’s most exclusive club and a membership is still a big deal. However, it has faced steady calls for reforms and India has been at the forefront of the lobby.

Power at the UNSC is concentrated among the permanent five who have veto power – US, UK, France, China and Russia. The biggest roadblock to India’s permanent membership is China which uses its veto power to keep the former out. However, there has been growing acceptance of India as a voice that is representative of large parts of the world that have been excluded by the UNSC.

Regarding China, Jaishankar said at an event at the Columbia University that both rising powers should find a way to accommodate each other in the dynamic situation the world faces now.

He has before this addressed the idea of an ‘Asian century’ which he said can only be achieved with cooperation between the two neighbours whose relations have nosedived since the border standoff.

Chinese media has increasingly warmed up to Jaishankar’s resistance to EU centralism and for asserting India’s ability to make decisions independently keeping its national interest at the core. Yet the diplomatic chill between India, China remain even as there has been further resolution of the deadlock at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last week.

India, a global voice

Jaishankar acknowledged China’s rapid rise at about the same timeline as India. But now, as India comes into its own, there is increased friction between the neighbours. In fact, the biggest change of the current times is the growth of China and its increased rivalry with the US. Some analysts say that cold war of the 21^st century may be evolving. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created political fractures among nations. The global order is undergoing a churn. In this fragmented world, India’s democratic credentials make it a reliable partner of the west and its independent foreign policy gives it the leverage to engage closely with other nations not in the western orbit as well.

As China expands its power and intensifies aggression, India could emerge as a responsible global stakeholder and deserves to be involved in global governance and decision-making.

India has led efforts at vaccine equity and getting favourable policies for the developing world at the WTO. Its role is crucial in targeting issues like terrorism, maritime security and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

India is now the fifth largest economy and is set to take the third spot by 2029, according to most estimates. It will surpass China as the world’s most populous country too. India, therefore, should find a permanent place at the UNSC whose members have been deeply divided over the Ukraine war. The unprecedented invasion by a P5 country in a neighbouring nation should pave the way for serious consideration of India’s membership.