India has always aspired to strategically dominate and sole hegemonic force in the South Asia region. To the accomplishment of a dream, India has not only sped up its hegemony over the region but has also started spreading its wings further to give its rival neighbour, i.e China, a tough time in all the regions and sub-regions of Asia, as well as in all the seas of Indian and Pacific oceans.
This is where India’s Monroe doctrine explains its attitude. The Monroe doctrine was formulated under the regime of James Monroe, Former President of the United States Of America, in 1823. In his speech to U.S Congress, He claimed the western hemisphere as America’s exclusive area of influence and unleashed a kind of warning to the world, especially Europeans, of not devising any kind of policy in future to colonize, subjugate or even intervene in the region, particularly in the Latin American states that erstwhile were the colonies of Spain and Portugal. The Monroe doctrine has two aspects: One explicit ( Non- Intervention) and two is Implicit ( Expansion).
By keeping this view in mind, It is quite relevant in the incumbent circumstances between China and India. Both countries are perpetual struggle to enhance their area of influence and stay away from the rival from intervening in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Not only the current Government of India reflects Monroe doctrine, Indian successive leaders, the inception period of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, had introduced his version of Monroe doctrine. PM Nehru stated that “ No one will be allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of India would be considered an intrusion into India’s political system, which according to Nehru, would never be permitted or tolerated.” While addressing these lines, he also demanded the freedom of Goa from the illegitimate rules of Portugal.
According to the few analysts believe that under the Prime Minister of Indira Gandhi, a country, adopted a realist foreign policy, and in those years, the Indira doctrine was formally inducted into the politics of India. As per the Indira doctrine, “ India will not tolerate external intervention in a conflict situation in any South Asian Country. No South Asian Government would be permitted to seek any kind of assistance from external power during the confrontation.” India announced that all affairs must be resolved bilaterally and no external players will be welcomed. This approach of India had played a cardinal role in the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971 and the same circumstances were witnessed in 1974.
In current times, India,’s hegemony in the South Asia region is in danger by entering China into the geopolitics of the region. Therefore, The ruling Indian Government is in cahoots with the United States to play the collective part to restrain the rising hegemony of China in the Indian ocean so as not to let it achieve a dominant global power status where it may challenge the prevailing western economy, political and security order. India’s declared strategy to become a Net security provider, Primarily at the behest of the U.S, in the region instead of remaining defensive, is a clear indication of India being a proud Monroveian State.
Written by Arbaz Khan Pathan, a student of ITC at Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam.
Note: Views expressed in this writeup are the writer’s own, and does not indicate the idea of this page.
