On June 4 in Singapore, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin categorically stated that Indo-Pacific is/was US’s number-one focus area and the US will keep financing high-quality air forces and naval forces in the region. On June 5 in New Delhi, he was more categorical saying that China would not leave US allies alone refereeing Line of Actual Control (LAC) of Indo-China borders. Austin reiterated US commitment to collaborate closely with India mainly in the defense sector by providing India with cutting-edge technology and weapons for a free and open Indo-Pacific. He lauded India’s role in the QUAD Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA), which will provide India with the defense/military hegemony in the region to counter-react China.

The US now is trying to halt ‘Global South’ developments under the Chinese investment model because the idea is all set to sail except for one glitch i.e. India which is a Western mouthpiece in QUAD but also a member of BRICS and SCO, which makes it a reluctant partner to both West and the BRICS and SCO member states. While being in BRICS, India is part of the bigger plan of de-dollarisation, and an alternative to the World Bank and IMF although India has pledged its alliances to the West in order to continue Western domination in the Global South.

Last month, SCO Foreign Minister Summit was a functional disaster because of India’s West-friendly statements against China and also the defaming of Pakistan with baseless allegations, which resulted in the decision that SCO Head of State Summit 2023 will be held virtually just because member states are not comfortable having direct confrontation with a western mouthpiece that is the host of the event. As for BRICS, it is ironic to see India talking about prosperity and breaking the debt traps of the Global South while becoming the party in the hegemonic ventures of QUAD.

Efforts continue to contain China within Indo-Pacific with different, strategic and military alliances like QUAD — comprising Australia, India, Japan and the US — helped by its sister alliances such as ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

China is surely trying its best to counter Western influence in Indo-Pacific. SCO and BRICS are such forums where Global South registers reservations and formulates a roadmap to sustain against all odds.

BRICS was formed with the purpose of common development and counteracting financial hegemony, and to achieve that BRICS established the New Development Bank with a contingent reserve arrangement to overcome the financial impediments due to the World Bank and IMF. De-dollarisation and agreeing on mutually beneficial trade currency are top future priorities of BRICS. Almost all BRICS members, excluding India, are facing Western trade monopolies. BRICS cooperation with more than 50% of global economic growth has a direct catalytic effect on international development. That is where the problem lies for Global North. BRICS is not just a direct challenge to their political hegemony, but it is also a threat to their trade monopoly. Two BRICS members, China and Russia, are in the direct Western line of fire. Russia is facing an unprecedented amount of Western sanctions and President Vladimir Putin has been declared a war criminal by the West; and South Africa which has the Presidency of BRICS 2023 is forced to answer whether or not Putin will be arrested in August 2023 during the BRICS Heads of State summit. South Africa has categorically denied complying with this demand by the West. All BRICS leaders will attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa in August this year. Putin had already received the invitation from the South African President and had no intention of refusing it.

Although a founding member of BRICS, Indian’s alignments contradict with its agenda. Before jumping into different baskets, India needs to decide cohesively whether it is ready to become a partner of China, Russia and Turkey with a bigger plan or it is still clinging to the old ways of western world order. But if India thinks it can sail on both the boats simultaneously, it will ruin the essence of BRICS and SCO.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2023.

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