In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

95 Introduction As India aspires to move from a rule-taker to a rule-maker or at least a ruleshaper role in the multilateral order, the main question being asked is,“What will India do”? Perhaps an equally relevant question is,“What is India able to do?”This question is directly related to India’s state capacity, which this chapter defines as a state’s ability to develop and implement policy. This chapter begins with a look at why capacity matters, as well as an assessment of the people and ideas available to the Indian state that could help it to shape the multilateral order. Discussions about the state’s ability to operate and to exercise influence in the external realm often start—and sometimes end—with the numbers question. The factoid most often quoted is that India and Singapore have about the same number of foreign service officers.1 Capacity, however, also involves other components that are often overlooked. The chapter lays out four such elements that are affecting the ability of Indian policymakers to formulate and implement policy broadly related to the external arena: the changing nature of policy issues; domestic politics; the media and public opinion; and the corporate sector’s increasing international interests and involvement. The chapter then provides examples of how these elements have affected the Indian government’s ability to act on some multilateral questions, examining multilateral trade negotiations in particular. It also looks briefly at their impact on climate change negotiations, as well as a few other multilateral issues. Finally, it suggests some ways in which the capacity -related challenges to India’s effective participation in the multilateral order can be mitigated. 6 What in the World Is India Able to Do? India’s State Capacity for Multilateralism tanvi madan 96 tanvi madan People and Ideas There continue to be calls at home and abroad for India to do more to shape and enforce global rules, norms, and institutions.2 Yet there is a realization that India does not necessarily have the numbers and expertise to do so, especially in its Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)—the ministry that often takes the lead on these questions or at least plays a starring role.Various observers have noted that India’s foreign service and the ministry’s budget are “remarkably small,” especially when compared with those of other countries.3 The MEA’s capacity—personnel and budget—to conduct external relations was a concern of the Indian leadership from the early days of independence.4 However, historically, compared to other developing countries, India had“relatively more advanced diplomatic resources”5 —this capacity was indeed one reason why the country could play an international role perhaps disproportionate to its capabilities. The Indian state today has significant capacity to develop and formulate external policy in terms of individuals, idea generation , and institutions. However, now it is this capacity that is disproportionate to its capabilities and the role to which India aspires. With economic growth, the MEA’s resource situation has improved considerably, but budget constraints and personnel shortages continue to be a problem—one that is likely to get more acute as India’s international footprint grows. For some of India’s interlocutors, the Indian situation turns on its head Henry Kissinger’s apocryphal question about engaging Europe,“Who do I call if I want to speak to Europe?”6 The problem reflected in that question was that too many actors were involved with not enough clarity about who was in charge. In India’s case, foreign officials express the opposite problem: not enough counterparts with whom to engage.7 A European diplomat, for example , commented that, when engaging Indian counterparts, “We may have 10 people on our team, but the Indian side comprises just one or two persons.”8 A Southeast Asian diplomat noted a related problem: not enough high-level personnel to participate consistently and effectively in regional dialogues.9 Many foreign officials note the high quality of the Indian officials with whom they interact in bilateral and multilateral settings.10 However, as the scale and kind of activities that India is seeking and expected to be involved in at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels expand, the availability of expertise has also become a concern. Most MEA officials, like many of their counterparts in other ministries, are generalists by recruitment and training.11 There are questions about their ability to meet effectively the demands of dealing with counterparts on a range of complex...

Share