Project India as strong & united country

There must be a secure and stable India first. If we are strong, steady and united within our borders, we will be able to project this image abroad. We must look at the country as a whole and take along all shades of opinion and people. Differences must be set aside while evolving and strategising a policy.

Going slow: Quad seems to be giving us very few tangible deliverables as opposed to what Aukus is giving to Australia. ANI

Gurbachan Jagat

Former Governor, Manipur

THERE has been a flurry of activity over the last few months on the diplomatic front in India because of the G20 meet. Many senior dignitaries have come from across the globe and our Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also been active abroad. The diplomatic activities are expected to continue at a fast pace in the coming months. It is apparent that we are being wooed and at the same time being given a push in a certain direction by the western powers. The wheels of international diplomacy are continuously turning — there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.

With our 140-crore population, an economy which over the past two decades on an average has been among the fastest-growing and the strategic position of our sub-continent, this wooing is understandable. However, before I come to the area of foreign policy, I would like to mention a few prerequisites for launching a successful foreign policy which secures our interests — both domestic and international. There must be a secure and stable India first. If we are strong and steady and united within our borders, we will be able to project this image abroad. We must look at the country as a whole and take along all shades of opinion and people. Differences must be set aside while evolving and strategising a policy. This has been the case in the past where the ruling party has evolved a consensus by taking the Opposition parties into confidence. This was generally the case when Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were at the helm of affairs. I believe that this tradition should continue and, if possible, be strengthened.

The Mauryan and Gupta empires of ancient India were vast and are considered its golden period. Chandragupta Maurya established a very successful system of administration and Ashoka’s edicts are legendary, as depicted on his pillars. The period after the Kalinga War especially is considered that of peace and religious harmony with expansion of internal and foreign trade, agriculture and the advancement of the sciences and knowledge. I mention these periods of India for it was during such eras of internal strength that India achieved its potential. Great heights were achieved in trade and the influence of the Indian civilisation stretched far and wide. Both Hinduism and Buddhism as an idea and a religion spread outwards as did the spices along the silk route and Grand Trunk Road. The impact of the Indian civilisation was felt abroad both in the ideas it propagated as well as the goods it traded.

The kingdoms in the South excelled in maritime trade and thus impacted the countries with which they traded. It is time now to show our united face to the world, a united India with strong, stable institutions and excellence in governance. This is not happening, with the result that we are presenting a face of disunity, acrimony and polarisation on religious and caste lines. Institutions look fatigued and unsure of their legal responsibility and the tasks they are called upon to perform. Parliament and state legislatures are no longer the forum for debates; rather, they present a picture of anarchy. The higher judiciary seems to be at odds with the executive. ‘We the people’ are confused due to different pulls and pressures. If this is the picture we present, then how will we have a credible foreign policy?

Coming to foreign policy, let us begin with our immediate neighbours: Pakistan, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. Barring the first two, the other five are smaller countries with whom we could have strengthened our relations further through trade and other policies. All these five are being wooed by China, which has managed to engage with them closely. Even Bangladesh and Bhutan are being vigorously wooed by China. Beijing has also managed to secure port facilities in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan in our neighbourhood. The ‘One Belt, One Road’ policy is designed to extend China’s influence far beyond its borders. It is worth remembering that it is the smaller states of Europe which have been steadfast allies of Ukraine, providing last-mile logistical support as well humanitarian aid to refugees.

We are now being sought after by the US, the UK, Russia and major European powers. So far, we appear to have little clarity on navigating these stormy waters. But for how long can we last alone? Gradually, the screw is being tightened with push giving way to shove. So far, nothing concrete has emerged out of Quad as opposed to Aukus, where the US and the UK are going to share technology to build nuclear submarines in Australia. This is the first time in 65 years that the US is sharing this technology. In the interim, they will provide Australia with three nuclear-powered submarines and it is further learnt that even Tomahawk missiles are being made available to Australia. Quad seems to be giving us very few tangible deliverables as opposed to what Aukus is giving to Australia.

If we wish for a seat at the high table, we should be able to project ourselves as a secure, steady country with its own friends, arc of influence and institutions of excellence. If China can influence our neighbours, why can’t we focus on Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and the Pacific islands? They would welcome us. How is it that China has virtually done a coup by bringing together two implacable foes like Iran and Saudi Arabia and we did not have even a whiff of it? At one stroke, the entire picture in West Asia has changed. As I write this, the Iranian Foreign Minister is headed to the UAE.

This is superb covert and overt diplomacy being conducted by China. This also happened when we were kept out of the Afghan deal post the US exit; we lost our vital interest in Iran (the port at Chabahar) and an old trading partner due to sanctions. In the face of the above facts and increased aggressive posturing by China along our borders, mere statements of support will not suffice. We should not look only at the kings and queens on the world chess board, but also at the other pieces which are equally important. We are a country of 140 crore people — let us project ourselves as a strong and united country, for in the world of hard realities the strong respect the strong, otherwise they condescend.