CHANGING GLOBAL POWER EQUATIONS

                               

The generation which is alive and in eighties, has the credit of having witnessed the Second World War and well remembers the power equations which emerged in the critical post war period. While the USA led the Western  nations named as the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), the rival group veered round the then USSR. Both groups were so  bitter in their mutual relations that the world peace appeared on tenterhooks. Many occasions built up in that critical period in Cuba, Germany, Yugoslavia, India, Afghanistan etc when a hot war appeared looming closely on the horizon.

However, every time some sort of peace was brokered and the mankind was saved from a complete annihilation. This continued till early 1990s when the USSR disintegrated and the world saw the shift of bipolar power position to a uni-polar power centre. America emerged as the single most powerful country. Even though, obviously she started dictating terms in international relations, the planet had a virtual sigh of relief. Catastrophe of devastating war started being seen as a distant possibility. To our misfortune, this equation, of late seems threatened with another spell of high tensions, generated by the overplay of the Crimean issue by Russia.

The root cause of such flares is the non-belief of the West in the truncated Russia despite its inclusion in the European Union. The new Russia almost for nearly two decades remained subdued though unwillingly and with feeling of revenge. Later on under Putin’s stewardship, when the country could establish some sort of political and economic stability, it started claiming its pound of flesh in the political arena. The latest example is Crimea of Ukraine, a peninsula in the Black Sea and strategically important. It has an overwhelming Russian origin population with natural pro-Russian inclinations. Just about a fortnight back, Russia conducted a hurried referendum and managed to get huge response for joining Russia. Despite the stiff opposition from Ukraine, supported by the NATO, the Russian army annexed the peninsula.

Consequently, the USA strongly warned Russia to restore status quo, but the lattet refused to retrace its steps. As expected, the NATO expelled her from the Group-8 and is due to impose economic sanctions to nail the aggressor. Russia has amassed huge army contingents on the Ukrainean borders and the West is afraid that this new country may lose its existence. Moreover, in order to hoodwink the American reprisals, Russia has started cultivating Chinese friendship. If this Russian initiative fructified, the Sino-Russian military combination will be a frightening alliance finishing the US preponderance in the international politics. Moreover, the way China has been aggressively dealing with her neighbours, India has genuine reasons to feel concerned. Among other defensive diplomatic moves, we have to further strengthen the tested Indo-Russian friendship.