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Narco-terrorism, extremism and small arms proliferation biggest threats: Jaswant

India's neighbourhood constitutes the single largest gene pool of terrorist in the world and that is a matter of global concern, said External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. He said narco-terrorism, extremism and small arms proliferation are the biggest threats to plural societies. And sustaining and strengthening pluralism, he said, was a major requirement to fashion a lasting security order in Asia.

Addressing the second international conference on 'Asian Security in the 21st Century', Singh said that the nature of war had changed and that non-state actors, fired by ideology, extremism and fanaticism, and equipped with ever more lethal weapons, have now appeared on the scene. He warned that globalisation enabled these terrorists to develop links across the world.

Dwelling on how Asia has changed and is changing, the minister said that in 1940, Asia accounted for 60 per cent of the world's population and 19 per cent of the globe's GDP. By 1995, the respective figures were 57 per cent and 37 per cent of the world's population and GDP. "And it is estimated," Singh continued, "that by AD 2025, Asia will account for 55 per cent of the world's population and 57 per cent of the globe's GDP."

The foreign minister said that Asia is unique since in contains seven of the 10 most populous countries in the world with some of the world's largest standing armies. Asia boasts four declared nuclear power along with one undeclared but perceived nuclear power besides the presence of the United States navy with nuclear arms, and a large number of countries producing and exporting missiles.

"Asia also accounts for the world's greatest energy resources, on which depends the prosperity of not just the Asian continent but also of the rest of the world," Singh said.

He also added that unlike other continents that had security frameworks such as the OSCE in Europe, the OAS in the Americas, and the budding OAU in Africa, Asia lacks any over-arching security framework.

"All these elements compel us in India, given our civilisational engagement and our geography, to focus deeply on the unique challenge of managing change in Asia," he said.

Jaswant Singh claimed that non-military threats have assumed greater salience as part of the effects of globalisation. He further said that challenges that Asia and the world will have to deal with will include migration of populations, sharing of water resources, food security, protecting the environment, security of energy resources and piracy at sea.

Making a fervent plea for complete and total disarmament, the foreign minister said that legitimisation of one kind of weapons of mass destruction raises concerns that other countries may translate it into legitimisation of other weapons of mass destruction even if prohibited by international conventions.

"If proliferation has to be tackled, then Asian nations need to come together by undertaking regional initiatives for steps that will lead the way in de-legitimising nuclear weapons and reduce the risks of accidental and unauthorised nuclear exchange. De-alerting measures and a joint 'no-first-use' suggest themselves as evident first steps," he declared.

He stated that the information technology explosion had brought about a revolution in military affairs, many of which are dual-use technologies.

Jaswant Singh then put forth some suggestions. "From an Asian perspective, the plurality of Asian in its economic and political systems makes it clear that balance of power approaches cannot work and only a co-operative security framework, based upon overlapping networks, hold the answer," he said.

He added, "This is also important because many Asian nations are younger than European nations, though not in civilisational terms, and these nations including India are attempting to cope with the challenges of technology, globalisation as well as institution building."

Singh prophesised that just as many strategic analysts visualise the emergence of a polycentric economic and security order globally, Asia is the crucible in which such an order will first be fashioned.

Talking about India, he stated that as India discovers its extended neighbourhood of central Asia, Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and southeast Asia, "India's role as a factor of stability on the Asian continent becomes apparent."

He declared that India has a vital stake in the stability and prosperity of Asia. "As the seventh largest country, with a land mass of 3.2 million square kilometres, a land boundary of 15,000 kilometres, a coastline of 7,800 kilometres and 600 islands, India needs to harness its resources into meeting the challenge of rising socio-economic aspirations of its billion-strong population."

To meet such requirements requires peaceful borders, a secure maritime environment and the movement of Indian skilled manpower -- India's biggest asset.

"Instability, extremism, narcotics, arms smuggling and terrorism... These are the common threats that stand in the way of the Indian and the Asian people in realising their true destiny," he said.

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