Menon cautions against non-state actors
October 22nd, 2011 - 9:39 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) In a veiled reference to extremist networks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, India Saturday said “non-state actors” are now performing state functions and underlined that New Delhi will play a global role amidst shifting international power equations.
“Sixty percent of what I look at is not state dealing with state. We see that immediately in our neighbourhood,” National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said while chairing a session at a conference on international relations that brought together academics and diplomats to discuss critical issues impacting India’s place in the world.
“So-called non-state actors, they perform state functions. They act for the state,” Menon said at the conference titled ‘Shifting Sands: India in the changing global order”.
He, however, did not name any specific country.
The conference was organised by the public diplomacy division of India’s external affairs ministry in collaboration with the think-tank Centre for Policy Research.
Turning the heat on Pakistan, the US has accused the military-backed Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of extending support to its “veritable arm”, the Haqqani network, to carry out attacks on its embassy in Kabul and NATO facilities in Afghanistan.
The Haqqani network has also been suspected by India of targeting its assets in Afghanistan.
Alluding to the shifting nature of international relations, Menon said that apart from technology, non-traditional factors such as food and energy security were becoming agents for change.
“There are structural shifts in nature of power… The nature of international relations is changing,” he said, adding that power was moving from larger states into the hands of small groups of people.
He also stressed on the need to develop an Indian way of evolving its place in international relations.
Outlining key priorities of India, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai underlined New Delhi’s needs for a peaceful periphery and access to security assets, finance and technology in order to enable India “to play a global role commensurate with its capacity.”
“It implies playing a role in the United Nations Security Council and getting into the Security Council as a permanent member,” said Mathai.
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Tags: critical issues, diplomats, energy security, external affairs ministry, extremist, global role, inter services, international relations, mathai, national security advisor, nature of power, New Delhi, periphery, power equations, public diplomacy, ranjan, shifting sands, state actors, state functions, traditional factors