The AUKUS Agreement and Its Widespread Impact on the Region: Australia, Britain, and the US have recently announced a tripartite security agreement, abbreviated as ‘ AUKUS ‘. However, France has opposed this nuclear alliance.
Announcing the alliance, without naming China, the US President said that the US and UK will work with Australia in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber-warfare, quantum computing, and nuclear submarine building to “address rapidly emerging threats”. Will cooperate Will share intelligence and advanced technology.
Arguments in favor of the formation of Aukas
The alliance announced by Australia, Britain, and the US could be seen as a landmark security pact for the Asia-Pacific region, which could be important as an effort to counter China. This will enable Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time using technology provided by the US.
These three nations have been allies in the past as well – the US and UK are allies of NATO, while Australia, New Zealand, and the US are allied with each other under the ‘ AUKUS ‘ agreement. The three countries are also members of the ‘Five-Eyes’ Intelligence Alliance.
However, this announcement has put a question mark on the future relevance and long-term existence of this forum, as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) for the Indo-Pacific region has already been established.
The inclusion of a weaker-than-ever Brexit Britain in this broad-scale coalition may also be subject to criticism.
Impact on the Quad and the Indo-Pacific
There are fears that AUKUS Agreement could have a deep impact on US-EU relations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and could undermine the international alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.
As an initial reaction, France has canceled a scheduled meeting of the foreign ministers of Australia, France, and India at the United Nations. Over the years this tripartite linkage has become an important element in the emerging Indo-Pacific architecture. Thus, cancellation of the meeting would adversely affect the tripartite engagement.
It is not yet clear whether the Quad and Aux will reinforce each other or remain mutually exclusive. There is also some belief that there is greater trust between ‘anglosphere nations’ – those who share cultural and historical ties with Britain.
AUKUS Agreement impact on India
Boycott of India: The creation of the ‘ AUKUS Agreement ‘ is an attempt to send a strong message to China. However, China’s calling the alliance an ‘exclusive bloc’ is also a matter of debate for the two members of the Quad and Malabar Forum, India and Japan, who have been left out of the new grouping.
America’s new partners for leadership in the Indo-Pacific region:
Some of the major achievements of the India-US security relationship: the signing of the 2008 India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement; Defense Technology and Trade Initiative launched in 2012; Grant of ‘Major Defense Partner’ status to India by the US Congress in the year 2016; granting Tier-I status to India which enables it to export high-technology goods; And in the year 2018, “2+2 Dialogue” started between the two countries. With the signing of the fourth and final ‘Foundational Agreement’ in the year 2020, it was recognized that closer defense is the last obstacle in the way of ties. Between the two countries has also been removed.
But with the establishment of the ‘ AUKUS Agreement ‘, fears have grown that it could be the start of a reversal in US policy, with Australia looking for a new partner to lead in the Indo-Pacific region.
China’s response on AUKUS Agreement
China has called on countries around the world to oppose ‘hegemony and division’. China has clarified that it opposes acts that undermine the international order, create conflict and create divisions under the banner of so-called rule-making.
At the same time, China itself is moving forward on the path of building artificial islands and converting them into fortified airports. The implementation of regular “freedom of navigation” operations by the US and allied navies has neither deterred nor discouraged China.
China has taken an even more aggressive approach along the Indian border, where it has used trade-scale military deployments to claim a large portion of Indian territory, leading to conflict since June 2020. India, undoubtedly at a considerable economic cost, stands by its position. The ground in retaliation. This dangerous confrontation is likely to continue.
The Quad, perhaps out of fear that it would be dubbed ‘Asian NATO’, has neither drawn up a charter nor made any significant progress. China, on the other hand, has attempted to dismiss the quad, saying it is “a headline-grabbing idea that will soon become extinct.”
Road ahead
While the escalation in Indo-US ties is a relief to Indians, India must be mindful of the exaggerated and ambiguous realities in this bilateral narrative. America’s offer to help ‘make India a great power’ and the declaration that ‘the world’s two great democracies must also have the world’s two greatest armies’ should not be taken with enthusiasm and criticized Should be known One should think calmly.
China is believed to have significantly strengthened its position over the past 30 years with advanced technology provided or stolen by the US. India has had to buy military hardware worth around $22 billion from US companies to demonstrate its ‘strategic partnership’, a typical regressive step in view of the Indian goal of ‘self-reliance’ and ‘freedom from external dependence’. We also need all the technologies Australia has to offer (including their theoretical and practical knowledge), including stealth fighters, jet engines, advanced radar, and nuclear propulsion for submarines as well as aircraft carriers.
To achieve its full potential, India will need ample time or opportunity to restore its economy as well as safeguard against monopolies. This relief will enable him to access advanced technology and increase his military power. India will need to find an external balance while preparing to deal with its own conflicts. It also needs to break the old notions and enter into new partnerships as per the demands and requirements of ‘Realpolitik’.
Building strong ties with France and Europe:
For a long time, Europe remained a diplomatically immobile zone for India. Ever since India realized that every European country, from tiny Luxembourg to emerging Poland, has a lot in common with India, Europe has become a major center of India’s international relations.
India’s strategic partnership with France has gained momentum over the years. For example, the Indian government has abandoned Delhi’s earlier reluctance to work with France on the security of the Indian Ocean.
Over the years, India has attempted to forge a new partnership with the UK, which is the world’s fifth-largest economy, a major financial center, and technological power, and holds great importance in global affairs.
India has to keep the following points in mind:
First, India must remind France, Australia, Britain, and the United States that their shared interests lie in the security of the Indo-Pacific region and that mutual conflict threatens to undermine this larger goal.
Second, highlighting the vast terrain requirements for effective deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and noting that all areas (from effective underwater capabilities to artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cyber warfare) were identified by AUKUS Agreement Yes, there are ample opportunities for America, Britain. , France and other European countries to collaborate with Indo-Pacific partners in an overlapping alliance for the development of high technology and defense-industrial cooperation in the US
Conclusion of this AUKUS Agreement discusion
India’s interests lie in deeper strategic cooperation with France and Europe as well as with the Quad and ‘Anglosphere nations’. To prevent division in the Indo-Pacific alliance, India’s diverse relations with the West must be taken full advantage of.
