Is the West likely to succeed in weaning India away from Russia? Most of Western nations have been busy in attempting to ensure India’s course correction. But this has only made New Delhi all the firmer about its “strategic autonomy.”
US’ readout of ADMM-plus joint declaration has a strong Cold War hue and is full of Washington’s impulse to dominate regional affairs and attempt to marginalize the role of ASEAN.
The US playbook is all too familiar: attempting to coerce Gulf countries to take sides, and interfering in their diplomatic and domestic affairs. But the times when the Gulf countries echoed whatever the US said have gone.
In the past, the status of major power was won through wars, such as the British empire, the US and the Soviet Union. But now, whether a country can be defined as a major power depends on whether it has the ability and will to provide enough international public goods to the region and the world. Achieving sustainable rise by providing international public goods is what differentiates China and other major powers in the past. Asian peace can be secured with more international public goods.