Introduction
The United Nations was brought into existence after World War II with a vision of establishing peace and stability throughout the world. India was one of the 51 founding members of the UN in 1945. About 10 years ago, the former US president, Barack Obama, on the floor of the Indian parliament stated that he eagerly looked forward to the day when India would be a permanent member of a reformed UNSC. Although this American vision took a backfoot during the Trump administration, the current Biden regime has once again brought this idea back to life and has revived the hopes of many. The history of the UNSC is as old as that of decolonised India, and their interaction with one another has witnessed several ups and downs in the course of the last 75 years. Thus, we shall begin by analysing the birth of the UNSC and how India has been a part and parcel of its life.
The Thin Line of Friction
India formally engaged with the UNSC for the first time in 1948, when Pakistan-backed tribal forces invaded Kashmir. In order to prevent it from becoming a prolonged territorial aggression between the two nations, India referred this matter to the UNSC to find a peaceful solution. However, instead of treating this invasion as a violation of international norms by Pakistan, the UNSC dealt with it as a territorial dispute between the two nations and refrained from taking any action against Pakistan. Since then, the political community in India has been sceptical about the security council and realised that it prefers to secure its own interests instead of judging situations on the basis of the merits and demerits of the circumstances.
Pt. Nehru's role in the history of UNSC-India relations has also been of central importance. As per many unconfirmed reports and scholars, the US secretly informed India in 1950 that a vacant seat on the Security Council may arise due to the removal of Taiwan after its illegal invasion by the communist party of China. It is also believed that India was offered a permanent seat at the UNSC even in 1955, but Pt. Nehru declined the offer and instead advocated for mainland China's permanent membership. The composition of the UNSC is determined by its charter, and without amending it, no new country can be included as a permanent member. As the speculations and allegations intensified, Pt. Nehru came forward and stated in his Lok Sabha speech in 1955 that India had not been offered a seat on the Security Council. He also highlighted that since the charter of the UNSC is unavoidably rigid without amending it, no question of making India a permanent member arises. And soon, Taiwan was replaced by the People's Republic of China at the UNSC, which marked a huge diplomatic blunder by the world community.
Even a Blind Man Cannot Overlook India
Since its independence, India has strived for excellence in every field and shown the world what Indians are capable of. India's growing stature makes it a legitimate claimant for the security council's permanent seat, which cannot be ignored. The following are some of the areas wherein India has achieved dominance and stood as an example for the world of how a democracy should function:-
India's Intrinsic Value: The main justifications for India's permanent participation in the UNSC are that it is the world's largest democracy and the second-most populous nation (soon to be the most populous). Also, India's economy is one of the biggest and fastest-growing in the world.
India's Geopolitical Footprint: Since becoming a Nuclear Weapons State (NWS) in May 1998, India has made a logical claim to membership in the permanent group alongside other current permanent members that are also Nuclear Weapon States. India has also been included in a number of export control regimes, such as the Wassenaar Arrangement and the MTCR.
India's Soft Power: India's rising worldwide impact in a variety of fields, including politics, sustainable development, economics, culture, science, and technology, has increased its international reputation and capabilities. As evidenced by its leadership position within the Non-Aligned Movement, India is the unquestioned leader of the Third World nations.
India in the UNSC: India actively contributed to the 1947–1948 drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and vociferously opposed racial injustice in South Africa.
Peacekeeping Missions: India has made significant contributions to the UN, particularly for the upkeep of world peace and security. It took part in 43 peacekeeping missions, sending over 160,000 troops and police officers in total.
Men Can Lie, Circumstances Cannot
The former permanent representative of India to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, rightly said that the geopolitics and geoeconomics of the world have transformed heavily since the creation of the security council. Due to the lack of an appropriate representation of Asia, Latin America and Africa at the UNSC, its relevance has been scrutinised over time. From its history, we come to know that several reforms pertaining to peacekeeping missions, membership, democracy, etc. have not yielded positive results, meaning that the UNSC is not very comfortable with reformation in its structure and composition. The G4 nations, which together strive for permanent membership in the Security Council, are often held back due to regional and sub-regional tensions amongst each other.
The charter of the UN is completely silent on new representation and membership of nations. It does not define the eligibility criteria and the requisites for a nation to have a permanent seat in the UNSC. Thus, in order to bring reforms to the UNSC, it's crucial to first reform the charter of the UN.
Conclusion
The requirements to join the UN Security Council as a permanent member are not specified in the UN Charter. India's transition from non-alignment to multi-alignment demonstrates its ability to preserve positive parallel connections with all major and minor powers in the global order. Demands for India's membership in the UN can be made in light of the country's expanding economy, size, democratisation, political stability, growth of its soft power, nuclear capability, and military might, as well as its emergence as a growing force in the South Asian region.
India's permanent membership in the UNSC will ensure that the developing and underdeveloped countries are represented. India can also play a vital role in preventing the misuse of veto power, representing the interests of both India and the poor nations, and making the UN a more democratic body for world governance.
Our goal should be to force ourselves into every big global discussion by using the sheer might of our economic, political, and military power. The way the international community views India has improved significantly over the years. If the pattern holds, India will eventually join the P6.
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