India and the UN reforms

India supports UN reform. It wants a stronger UN, with development at the centre of its agenda, since most of the world's people live in developing countries.

India points out a basic unfairness: the Security Council was enlarged only once, from 11 to 15 members in 1965, while the General Assembly grew from 51 to 193 members. So India wants more permanent and non-permanent members, especially from the developing world.

India also wants a permanent seat for itself. Its grounds:

• the world's most populous country, almost one-fifth of humanity;
• the world's largest democracy;
• a long record in UN peacekeeping, sending troops to many missions;
• a fast-growing economy, among the world's largest;
• it has never failed to pay its UN dues on time.

There is a case of fairness too: Africa and South America have no permanent member at all.

But India's claim faces objections:

• Pakistan opposes it strongly, citing rivalry and Kashmir.
• India's nuclear weapons worry some countries.
• Some argue an India–Pakistan rivalry would spill into the Council.
• Other aspirants (for example in Africa and Latin America) and their rivals block any package deal. Some countries also want any new members to have no veto.

So India has a strong case and wide support, but reform requires agreement from the P-5 and two-thirds of the General Assembly, which is a hard road.