India gains seat on UN Security Council
Asia Program Deputy Director Michael Kugelman reacts to the news that India has won a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
India's overwhelming triumph in its quest to secure a non-permanent UN Security Council seat is another indication of its rising stature on the world stage, and of the respect it enjoys in global forums. It also provides a timely reputational boost at a moment when it has attracted international criticism for its Hindu nationalist policies at home, and when it is bogged down in a bitter border dispute with China.
As big a diplomatic victory as this is for New Delhi, it has its eyes on the biggest prize: a permanent seat on the UN security council. This is a much more ambitious goal, and one it's unlikely to achieve anytime soon given that China would almost certainly wield its veto power on the council.
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Asia Program
The Asia Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region. Read more