India Must Resolve Internal Issues before Aspiring for Leadership of Global South

This is a big year for India to strengthen its foreign relations and pitch itself as the leader of the Global South. The primary catalyst for India’s leadership aspirations is the upcoming G20 summit in Delhi, which will conclude in September this year. 

India got the presidency of G20 in December last year and will hold the seat till November. G20 is a group of 20 major developing and developed countries representing the two third of the world’s population, 75 % of global trade, and 85 % of global GDP. Although the primary objective of the G20 is promoting economic cooperation among the member countries, it has emerged as an essential forum for addressing geopolitical issues. 

India has long aspired to leadership in Asia and the Global South. China, the country’s leading economic and political rival in the region, has led this race since the end of the Cold War. But recent geopolitical and economic turmoils have strengthened India’s image as a cooperative leader and a better alternative to hegemonic China. 

Our nation’s commitment to peace during the Russia-Ukraine war, its helping hand and cooperation with the Global South, comprising of Asian, African, and Latin-American countries during the pandemic, and the failure of the China-debt-ridden economies of Sri Lanka and Pakistan have portrayed India as a cooperative leadership alternative against repressive China.

The global leadership dream of India is very realizable in the current world order where Russia and the United States have again re-engaged in proxy battles, signally a new Cold War. But, India faces many social and economic challenges at home that must be addressed to perform well in this leadership race. 

India faces many social challenges, but communal violence and polarisation in the past decade have deteriorated its image as a peaceful nation in the international community. Communal riots and killings in recent years in India have alarmed international human rights groups and watchdogs.

According to Early Warning Project, a US-based genocide monitoring group, India ranked eighth in the highest risk of mass killing countries in 2022. More than 10,000 cases of communal violence happened in India in the past eight years, according to a report by the Home Ministry of India in 2022. 

In a report published by The Institute for Economics and Peace, India ranked 135 among 163 countries on Global Peace Index. These outbreaks of violence have also cost India’s economy dearly. The same report highlighted that the country’s total cost of communal violence amounted to $646 billion. It costs India 9% of its GDP annually, almost twice its combined health and education budget. 

Such social problems hinder the image of India as a peaceful nation capable of cooperative leadership. The country needs first to put its house in order where there is openness and transparency, which the other nations and foreign investment groups can trust.

India also needs to address its pressing economic challenges. It is close to becoming the most populated country in the world but needs to catch up in investment in its human resources. India lacks much development in education and health, the two key factors for human resource development. 

In 2023, India spent only 5% of its GDP on education and health, while the average spending of EU countries on the same was 13% of their GDP. The pandemic in 2020 showed the sorry state of the poor health infrastructure of the country. 

Further, India also needs to resolve its energy and food crises. Our country is the world’s third-largest CO2 emitter. Almost 80% of the energy requirements of India are met with coal and petroleum, which are non-renewable sources. Food production is also unsustainable due to the dependency on imported fertilizers and the production of water-intensive crops in dry regions like Punjab and Haryana.

A peaceful society and a sustainable economy are essential for the social and economic growth of the country. India must set an example of viable social and economic development before aspiring for leadership.