COVID-19 that erupted in Wuhan last year has affected the remotest corners of the world which prompted the World Health Organisation to declare it as the sixth “global pandemic” in history bringing the world to a standstill, disrupting the economic activities globally, leaving the poorest as most vulnerable.
It affected western countries too, which were baffled throughout the action that was to be implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19. The events led to Thomas Friedman writing in the New York Times that world history should henceforth be divided into ‘B.C. and A.C.’: ‘Before Corona’ and ‘After Corona’.
This type of catastrophe is new for the global institutions In this kind of International anarchy and power vacuum in the global power structure, India has shown its capabilities to become a serious global player by organizing global action in time of distress.
India’s Favourable Domestic Situation
India imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25, which was further extended later. Compared to the horrific figures of death in western countries, the situation in India is under control and people have followed official instructions which has helped the government think beyond national boundaries. India had the right time to act promptly and take decisions that were beneficial to India’s interests globally.
According to Harsh Pant, a Professor of International Relations at the London-based Kings’ College, “from the very beginning of this crisis, the government from the top level has been outward focused as much as inward-looking, as compared to many other prominent nations of the world that have been only inward-looking.”
Regional Leadership
India also prioritized its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, diplomats in New Delhi understand the importance of regional leadership of south Asia, and PM Modi has demonstrated New Delhi’s intentions to emerge as a regional leader of South Asia and pledged monetary and medical aid. Other measures include sending Indian Military doctors to Nepal and Maldives and evacuation of students of the Maldives from China which shows the political will and capability of India to safeguard its neighbourhood and emerge as a new regional power.
Medical Diplomacy
Being one of the largest producers of pharmaceutical products, India leveraged this opportunity to give speedy clearance for the export of much needed anti-malarial drug ‘hydroxychloroquine’ to the world. India is being praised by numerous countries for its generous and quick response in exporting the anti-malarial drug. The drug has been exported not only to African, Latin American and Central Asian nations but also developed economies such as France, Russia, the US, and the UK.
India has extended full cooperation for online training to healthcare professionals in South Asia and other neighbouring countries on COVID-19 management strategies by sending teams of Indian military doctors to countries like Nepal, Maldives, and Kuwait.
India has shown a diplomatic outreach, political will, and a capability to safeguard its interest and of those in its sphere of influence. Modi himself highlighted India’s coordination in the immediate neighbourhood, organized online training to share India’s medical expertise with smaller neighbours, and ensured medical supplies to over “123 partner countries, including 59 members of NAM.” Medical Diplomacy shows India’s effectiveness and its political will to earn favours for India in the international community.
Multi-Alignment
Coronavirus came as the most effective argument for global transformation. The increasing rivalry between the two Security Council Members, the U.S, and China, is opening new possibilities for reformation in the global organization’s architecture. India has emerged as a new centre of ‘Soft Power’ amid this global pandemic.
India’s Soft Power diplomacy through the export of anti-malarial drug-hydroxychloroquine across the world and medical assistance to its neighbours is reassuring the world of an India that is prepared, united, resilient, and capable of forging mutually beneficial new leadership. Global Power structure will see the much-needed transformation in the post-COVID world and there will rapid reforms and power transfers that are consistent with India’s own domestic and foreign policy interests. India can usher in a new era of multi-lateralism, as India’s image has risen in the world.
Getting Expatriates Back
The Indian government had decided to bring expatriates back home and Started ‘Mission Vande Bharat’ to evacuate stranded Indians abroad. The first phase of Vande Bharat Mission included 12 countries, and in total, the government of India will bring 67,833 people stranded in other countries.
This promptness shown by the Government of India in bringing back thousands of Indian immigrants from abroad is also being appreciated. Stranded citizens in the Maldives are being evacuated by the Indian Navy’s INS Jalashwa under ‘Operation Samudra Setu‘ INS Shardul and INS Airavat, have set sail to bring back Indian’s from United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Setting The Stage For A New Global Order
One cannot reject the possibility of a tectonic shift in the global balance of power in the post-COVID world. When China was holding the Chair of the Security Council, it had not allowed the discussion on COVID-19, which further aggravated tension among superpowers. The United States had questioned the response of WHO in dealing with this crisis, and even cutting the U.S.A’s contribution for WHO to half, making the world look more fragmented and bleak.
The only way to prevent a future outbreak is by creating a robust model of Public Health systems across countries where more global cooperation will be needed. New Delhi needs to expand its cooperation programs into a global effort, utilize its currency of Soft Power diplomacy for gaining its right position in a military-dominated world.
Despite domestic problems and shortcomings, India has stood out for its globalism during the ongoing pandemic. Its political will and capacities had made India’s position stronger in the international community than before. But, this is not the end, India needs to fix its economic deficiencies and support the millions of poor and vulnerable Indians who are losing hope for a better tomorrow. India will benefit from the blow to China in world trade and this corona crisis.