Journal of Polity and Society

From Assertion to Accommodation?: Explaining China’s Evolving response to the Indo-Pacific Strategy

Biplab Debnath — 2024-11-08

The 'Indo-Pacific' as a new strategic frame of reference for regionalism has been gaining increasing popularity in recent times. Over the last decade, many nations have used this terminology in their official discourse, elevating the phase into a contemporary geo-political nomenclature. The term has a strong political connotation which reflects the conflict and competition in the regional geo-political outlook of two major powers in the Asia Pacific - the USA and China. While the USA plays a leading role in projecting the Indo-Pacific strategy to maintain its dominance in the region, China has emerged as its principal critique, perceiving the idea as US-led propaganda aimed towards the containment of China. With the involvement of the other regional states in the USA-China geo-political conflict on the Indo-Pacific idea, the latter is emerging as a major discourse in Asian regionalism.

In this context, the paper examines China's evolving policy towards the Indo-Pacific idea, especially one propagated by its principal regional and global competitor, the USA. The paper begins with a brief background of the USA-China competition in Asia. The next section analyses the evolution of the Indo-Pacific conception to contemporary times. The following section will place the USA-China competition in a study of Beijing's reaction to the Indo-Pacific concept, including its informal institutional mechanism, the Quad. The final section will highlight the transformation in China’s approach towards the Indo-Pacific idea in tune with its regionalism strategy. The paper will conclude with a brief outline of the future shape of China’s Indo-Pacific strategy and its impact on regional geo-politics.

Combating Climate Change in Indo-Pacific Region

Vaishali Jain — 2024-11-08

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific region has recently emerged as a hot topic in geopolitical discourse, primarily focused on matters of political and economic significance, while climate change concerns that deserve due consideration have been regrettably overlooked amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region. This paper undertakes a comprehensive investigation into climate change’s primary causes and subsequent impact within the Indo-Pacific region. This paper delves into a thorough examination of the national Indo-Pacific strategies launched by prominent nations in the region, with the primary focus being on assessing the level of emphasis, initiatives, and measures incorporated into these strategies for addressing and mitigating the challenges posed by climate change in the region. Moreover, it explores the prospect of leveraging multilateral organisations, regional cooperation mechanisms, and various partnerships within the Indo-Pacific region to address the problem of climate change effectively. This paper also sought to shed light on India’s vital role in addressing the issue of climate change within the Indo-Pacific region, primarily through various initiatives like promoting renewable energy and building international cooperation. In the concluding part, this paper discusses a few challenges, provides insightful recommendations, and presents the prospects for collaboration in mitigating and adapting climate change in the Indo-Pacific region.

Keywords: Climate Change, Indo-Pacific Region, Environment, Oceans, India

China’s Military-Civil Fusion from Mao to Xi: A Long Roadmap

Neeraj Singh Manhas — 2024-11-08

Military-civil fusion has played a significant role in the establishment, growth, and pattern of all nations. Balanced civil-military ties are crucial to the peace and stability of any country. Considering western nations have a long history of rule of law and democracy, it would be more widespread and acknowledged there. Constitutional safeguards maintain the military's professional standards and political independence. In addition, it provides a forum for civil society to discuss more comprehensive and authentic responses to all societal issues, including the military. But China’s case is different it begun under the Chairman Mao in 1956, it received a boost in 1982 from Deng Xiaoping, ensuring the merger of its defence and commercial technology. The leader Mao Zedong through Hu Jintao, every PRC leader has attempted some sort of Civil-Military merger. During 13^th Five Year Plan era, MCF made significant progress toward improving interconnectivity and resource sharing in various fields (2016-2020). Since Xi Jinping's election, the military's position and the importance of MCF have grown significantly. Military-Civil Integration, Military-Civil Fused Development, and other words have been used to describe it. Xi Jinping, utilising MCF to prepare the country to compete militarily and economically with the United States in a rising technical and geopolitical confrontation. This paper investigates China's MCF leaders, from Xi to Mao, and their long-term strategy to increase China's strength in every sphere.

China's Belt and Road Initiative and its Impact on Pakistan and India: With Special Reference to Gwadar Port

SANGHAMITRA Mallick — 2024-11-08

In the twenty-first century, countries are competing to increase their regional connectivity. China and Pakistan are promoting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to promote their respective interest and enhance regional integration under the leadership of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It ensures a long-term economic partnership between two countries primarily it is based on commerce, communication, and transport. The BRI involves many Ports in its plan, like Chittagong Port in Bangladesh, Sittwe Port in Myanmar, and Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka. Gwadar Port in Pakistan is one among these ports. This port is situated in the South-West of Pakistan and 400 kilometers away from the Strait of Hormuz. China wants to enhance its naval power and trade connectivity through this port. This paper investigates and analyses three issues. First, what are the major concerns in CPEC? Second, how does it impact Pakistan, and why are Pakistani people against this project? Third, why is India reluctant to join this initiative?

Is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a replica of Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port in South Asia?

Binesh Bhatia — 2024-11-08

Due to China’s intervention on the global chessboard, the deviation in international politics has shifted from the West to the Global South region. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a strategic calculus that began in 2015 under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The corridor sounds like an economic deal for regional growth but seems trapped in the harsh geopolitics. The project hopes to boost Pakistan’s economy and simultaneously provide an alternative to the plight of the Malacca Strait for China. Many internal issues have enlarged the project’s focus, such as Baloch’s agitation against exploiting natural resources, lack of employment for locals, and increased terrorist attacks using “terrorist aliases” operating in Pakistan. The insecurity in South Asia has established new dimensions for the regional allies. Strategic investment of China under its BRI has severe regional implications for the embryonic security trends in South Asia. The “debt-trap diplomacy” in Hambantota’s port shows China’s vested interests in South Asia and Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Sri Lanka’s inability to repay its colossal loan has resulted in the 99-year lease with more than 70 per cent of the port’s control rights to a Chinese company. In 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put forward its opinion on the lack of transparency in the BRI project financing. Similarly, the massive investment in the CEPC can ensure that China invades the Indian Ocean region and makes regional claims quickly and aggressively, posing a potential threat to India’s national security. As China’s BRI influence continues to expand, the project intends to counter India-US cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.

The paper focuses on the comparative analysis of Hambantota Port and CPEC to understand China’s massive investment in Pakistan and the on-going economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The study uses explanatory research methods, in which the necessary data on the subject is obtained from secondary sources. The research also draws attention towards Gwadar Port while highlighting Hambantota’s debt-trap diplomacy against China’s geopolitical ambitions in the Global South under its Belt and Road initiative.

Delayed Technology Transfer to Developing Countries in Strategic Sectors

Ashika S Prasad — 2024-11-08

Abstract

The space sector unveiled its strategic importance from the 1991 Gulf War and the Iraq war to the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict by providing strike precision, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Strategic technologies in the space sector include satellite technologies, launching technologies, and systems related to launching. The magnitude of strategic technology transfer to developing countries is less due to various political reasons. The technology control regimes mostly stand in the way of developing countries in their technology acquisition efforts. This article attempts to analyse the international transfer of strategic technologies to developing countries, particularly India. Historically, the Indian space sector was developed through technology import and collaborations with both the Western and the Soviet bloc countries. This article places India’s space program in the context of international technology control regimes and India’s relations with the space haves in the cold war and post-Cold War period. India’s acquisition of cryogenic technology for its launch vehicle development is chosen as the case study. The study is purely based on secondary data.

Free Minds for a Free and Moral Society

RAJAN . — 2024-11-08

Lord Action's aphorism "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"[i] (Lazarski, 2012) conveys plenty of humanistic connotations all in all. It not only includes forewarnings to democracy and freedom lovers; but also to those who prefer aesthetic and existential pursuits. Moreover, it is also why the above aphorism has been conveyed and affirmed by many thinkers in various ways. Adding to it, who has access to 'corrupted absolute power' other than the so-called State and is not unaware of any form of government's atrocities? Of course, many of us would come up with specific instances to show that not all states are corrupted and may consider it to be a partial truth to generalize the State as a corrupted agency. Surprisingly, some dreamers are more often optimistic about the ideal State than others are. Nevertheless, following the evidence-based studies and philosophical approach, the present paper's author asks whether it is a matter of fact or simply based on an unjustified belief. In short, the author aims to propose questions to those who still hope for an ideal state despite knowing the darkest human history of how great utopias and political ideologies of ideal states were rehabilitated into catastrophic dystopias no matter what form of government we have established. Considering such encounters, we aim to provide a counter-narrative regarding the idea of an ideal state to philosophize what sort of challenges we need to overcome to achieve the values we assume should be achieved via state formation.

[i] Lazarski, C. (2012). Power Tends To Corrupt: Lord Acton's Study of Liberty. Germany: Cornell University Press.p. 11

Ethnic Diversity, Federal Structure and the Question of Baloch Nationalism in Post-Colonial Pakistan

Vasundra Raje — 2024-11-08

A state can respond to diversity within its borders in many different ways, it can either seek to eliminate or manage with this diversity. Pakistan is a highly diverse and plural society in terms of its ethnic, linguistic and religious composition and in this context, some scholars categorize Pakistan among ethnically and linguistically complex states of the world. Federalism was stipulated as one of the premises for the creation of Pakistan in the Lahore Resolution of 1940. However, federalism as a foundation of shared sovereignty has not been promoted to establish Pakistan as a federal state. In reality, the unitarian character of the state has prevailed, during the rule of the democratic and military regimes though with varied degree. As a result, Pakistan remained authoritarian and centripetal despite having the apparent federal features in its political system, which the successive constitutions retained. This article seeks to outline the dynamics of the federalist politics in Pakistan, as successive constitutional arrangements were put in place to deal with ethnic pluralism. The paper also describes Pakistan’s federal system and suggests that aggressive centralization or quasi-federalism, with its authoritarian nature, has promoted regionalism and centrifugal tendencies, that results in a conflicting relationship between the Pakistani state and Balochistan.

Dynamics of Ethnic Diversity and Cultural Pluralism in United States of America: A Comprehensive Study of the Indian Diaspora

Sandhya S Nair — 2024-11-08

The fabric of American history is woven with the narratives of diverse ethnic groups who settled in the new continent, enduring myriad challenges since the arrival of European colonizers in 1492. America has metamorphosed into a nation of immigrants, each wave bringing its unique struggles and contributions. Drawing upon historical insights, theoretical frameworks, empirical data, and scholarly discourse, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of ethnic identity, the challenges and opportunities posed by multiculturalism and cultural pluralism, and the unique experiences of the Indian American community. Thus, this discourse embarks on a concise exploration of ethnicity and ethnic pluralism within American society, with a specific focus on the ethnicity and challenges faced by the Indian diaspora in the United States. The multicultural ethos and cultural pluralism in American society allow Indian Americans to maintain their cultural heritage while actively participating as citizens, asserting their preference for retaining distinctiveness while contributing to the broader community. Embracing cultural pluralism serves as a means for Asian Indians to preserve their ethnic identity while aspiring to be recognized as a "model minority" within American society.

Substantive Representation and Gender interactions at political participation: an analytical study into the women political representation in Local Self- Governance.

Jayalekshmi J S — 2024-11-08

By their very nature, parliaments are meant to represent their societies. Citizens who identify with modern parliaments and find solutions to their problems and aspirations do so. The representation and participation of women in politics vary significantly between and within nations. A socially inclusive society allows women to "have a voice in making decisions that affect their lives," which is a crucial component of democratic governance. This pertains to the idea that political involvement is a human right and that women have the same citizenship rights as males. Why do we have so few women in politics? Are they willing to run for office? What happens when they do? How much does their presence systematically influence the legislative process? These are all critical questions to answer. The present study explores the term 'substantive representation' proposed by Hannah Pitkin in her pivotal work 'the concept of representation,' connoting the ‘acting for’ aspect of women's political participation. From a theoretical paradigm, this paper examines the gender interactions at local self-government institutions and analyses the scenario of women's representation.

Keywords: women participation, substantive representation, local governance, decision making

Migration from Uttarakhand’s Border Districts and its Strategic Implications: A Study of District Chamoli

DEEPAK SINGH DHAPOLA — 2024-11-08

The movement of people towards urban areas from villages is a notable issue in Uttarakhand. Although it has historical roots, currently, many villages are uninhabited in almost all hill districts of Uttarakhand. It becomes a security challenge when the bordering villages get depopulated. The state shares an international border with two countries, namely China and Nepal. This paper looks at the strategic implications of migration from the Chamoli district, which borders China. China uses the salami-slicing strategy to capture the grazing grounds in border areas. This is an applied exploratory research which seeks to build foundational empirical knowledge from hitherto unexplored perspectives of the impacts of out-migration from Himalayan borders. The Primary data was taken from government sources, whereas secondary sources include Journals, Books, and websites. It attempts to deconstruct how out-migration from border districts of Himalayan states can become a security challenge for India.

Urban Governance and Perception of Local Citizens: A Study with Special Reference to Jammu Municipal Corporation

Dr.Shafiq Ahmed — 2024-11-08

Abstract

The administration of state provides public goods and services to the citizens through the union government, state governments, and local governments, comprising of rural and urban governments. In various nations around the world, each of these tiers of government has its own jurisdiction, authority, and powers. While states differ in terms of structure, authority, and jurisdiction, the fundamental duties essentially remain the same. The local level of government is the closest to the people and hence provides the best amenities among the three levels of government. In this paper an attempt has been made to know the perception of local citizens about the urban governance ensured by Jammu Municipal Corporation [JMC] in its 75 Municipal Words. The study uses a qualitative research approach. Major finding reveals that the about half of the respondents responded that the civic services provided by the JMC are bad and approximately one-fourth (26.8%) responded that civic services provided by the JMC are average. It shows that they were not satisfied with the civic services and other urban infrastructure related arrangement provided by the JMC in their locality. More precisely, urban governance in the jurisdiction of JMC is compromised on several fronts. Furthermore, the 74^th CAA 1992, which accords constitutional status to ULBs of India has yet not been implemented in JMC.

Keyboards: Urban Governance, Tax Payers, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Urban infrastructure

I am Woman and Man: Impact of Asian-Gulf Migrants on Left-Behind-Families

Muskan Mustaqeem — 2024-11-08

This research study examines the changes in women’s decision-making roles and mobility due to their husband’s migration. These migrating men and their non-migrating women belong to societies where patriarchal structures are still in their rigidities as modernity has not yet penetrated to change the parochial mentality, especially towards assigning women’s roles in the community. Because of male migration and remittance inflows, power dynamics in household shifts, and wives play a dual role of a man and a woman, creating space for themselves by making everyday decisions, which gradually increases their autonomy and empowers them. To study the impact, fieldwork was conducted in two districts Siwan (Bihar) and Malappuram (Kerala) and sample households were interviewed. The results are consistent with the notion that educated wives enjoy more decision-making roles and mobility outside the community than less educated wives, who have fewer decision-making rights and less mobility with an increase in their daily chores and responsibilities. The study correspondingly intends to distinguish how wives of low-skilled and high-skilled workers perform and renegotiate their social roles.

Sustainability of Urban Local Self-Government Service Delivery in Kerala: Evidence and Implications

Dr.Vipin Chandran K P — 2024-11-08

Sustainability is a critical issue for local governments globally, and India is no exception. To address challenges such as climate change, air pollution, and energy security, Indian local governments need to implement sustainable policies and programs. Urban services, such as transportation, water supply, sewage management, pollution control, and solid waste management, are crucial for citizens' well-being and quality of life. Urban local bodies in Kerala have shifted towards sustainable practices in recent years. This study assesses the sustainability of urban local bodies in Kerala by analyzing their water supply systems, solid waste management practices, and land use patterns. Additionally, the study examines the impact of water pollution, air pollution, and noise pollution on the urban environment and identifies opportunities for sustainable future building practices. The findings of this study will improve our understanding of the current state of urban sustainability and provide recommendations for enhancing the long-term viability of urban areas.

Participatory Climate Action: A Case Study of Meenangadi Panchayat in Wayanad District, Kerala

Ashalekshmi B.S — 2024-11-08

Abstract

Participatory climate action is crucial for creating a sustainable and equitable world because it includes the engagement of individuals, communities, and other stakeholders in addressing the problem of climate change. Only by grassroots individual participation in climate action climate change can be effectively addressed. Participatory climate action at the local level refers to community-based programs and activities. These programmes include sharing resources and networks, as well as educating people about climate change and environmental issues in order to create a sustainable society. Participatory climate action builds adaptive capacity and resilience by nurturing a sense of shared ownership and responsibility, which helps communities adjust to the effects of climate change and contributes to global mitigation efforts. In this context, this paper tries to analyse the impact of the Meenangadi Model of participatory climate action in the district of Wayanad in Kerala.

Keywords : climate action, resilience, mitigation, climate change, collective action

Abstract

Keywords : climate action, resilience, mitigation, climate change, collective action

Book Review The Oxford Handbook of Digital Diplomacy

Nayana Nair — 2024-11-08

The Oxford Handbook of Digital Diplomacy, edited by Corneliu Bjola and Ilan Manor, provides a comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving field of digital diplomacy. The book explores the impact of digital technologies on traditional diplomatic practices, highlighting the transformative role of social media, big data, and advanced computing in shaping international relations. The authors examine the applications and possibilities of digital tools in various sectors, including politics, governance, and communications.