ANUSHKA SAXENA
During a recent visit by the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang to meet North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong-un, the two sides concluded a landmark agreement to formalise their military-strategic relationship. Titled the ‘Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the DPRK and the Russian Federation’, the agreement between two nations has spurred speculation as to its potential impacts for regional and global security. However, a discussion of its impacts on India is missing.
This is concerning because when one peruses the contents of the Treaty, one can infer that its various provisions run contrary to India's vision for the world order. In the very preamble of the Treaty, Russia and North Korea affirm that their joint goal is to build a “new, fair and equal international order,” and in doing so, aspire for “global stability.” Contemporary geopolitics is increasingly witnessing the emergence of a Russia-China axis founded on a sentiment of anti-Westernism, and important partners of the two countries, such as Iran and North Korea, are being co-opted into the axis. Given that India often positions itself as a bridge and a balancer between Russia and the US-led West, such an axis portends to create a power dynamic that would be simply unacceptable to India’s strategic goals.
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