Image: Transition to Guardianship: The Indian Navy 1991-2000
Here’s a hypothetical (though perhaps not for long) question: Where would you rather see India if WWIII were to break out today? There are no right answers, unfortunately.
If Russia, Belarus, China, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil, Afghanistan, Sudan, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, South Africa, and Islamic State came together to form an alliance against NATO and the USA-Canada-EU-Saudi Arabia-Israel-Japan-Australia-NZ block, do you think India would be forced to choose a side? If so, which one would you rather see India on? Why?
Yes, alliances you would never have thought of often happen in times of great stress, which, as far as I can see, this will soon come to. Frankly, there is nothing right or wrong in joining one side or the other. Nations do not work on the basis of right or wrong; only what serves the national interest. Right and wrong are decided post-ipso facto with the benefit of hindsight.
My question is two-fold: (1) Would India’s non-alliance crumble and it be forced to join one block of the other? I think, given the geostrategic nature of our country, we would have to make a choice. (2) Which one would you personally prefer India join, and why?
