_____________________________________
Vol 6, No. 1
Jan - Mar 2011
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Download Full Issue
DEBATE
Latin America
and the Caribbean: Next Step for India
For nearly
fifty years after independence, India’s relations with Latin American and
Caribbean (LAC) countries remained cordial but limited. The two subcontinents
had divergent foreign policy perceptions; and their inwardlooking
development strategies also gave little incentive for any meaningful
economic exchanges. This changed in the 1990s. A
liberalizing Indian economy initiated the export-promoting “Focus LAC”
strategy in 1996. On its part, the LAC region also reached out to India and
other dynamic economies of Asia with a view to boost regional economic
growth momentum. The interests converged on global trade and political
issues too; and political dialogue increased in frequency.
VIVEK KATJU: Secretary
(West), Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi
Growing Awareness between
India and Latin America
India and
Latin America have historically not occupied large spaces in each other’s
consciousness. The enormous distance between India and Latin America was
not only physical but mental and intellectual. Happily, that bleak picture
has been transformed. There is in India a far greater awareness of Latin
America than before.… Within Latin America also there is a growing and
direct awareness of the great transformation that is underway in India. ...
R. VISWANATHAN: Presently
the Ambassador of India to Argentina. He was formerly Ambassador to
Venezuela. Views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily reflect
those of the Government of India.
The New Latin America and
the Next Steps for India
Latin
America has undergone a paradigm shift in the last two decades. The region
has come out of the past curses of political and economic instability and cycles
of booms and busts. A stable and prosperous New Latin America is emerging.
The New Latin Americans are looking forward to the future with confidence
and optimism. India needs to recognize this new scenario and take strategic
steps to engage this region, enhance cooperation and promote trade and
investment....
JORGE HEINE: Till
recently the Ambassador of Chile to India; presently holds the CIGI Chair
in Global Governance at the Balsillie School of
International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier
University, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Much to Gain by Working
Together in the Emerging International Order
At the
beginning of the second decade of this new century, the appeal that India
is starting to exercise in Latin America is considerable. Its vigorous
parliamentary democracy, its growing economy, its high-tech achievements,
in combination with its millenarian spiritual traditions, make for a heady
mix. To make the most of this appeal, however, requires a much more
proactive policy towards the region, one that realizes that in this new
international order that is emerging, by working together, India and Latin
America have much to gain....
_____________________________________
SPECIAL
CONTRIBUTION
The Challenges to Indian Diplomacy
in the Twenty-first Century
Hon’ble Vice President of
India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari
Text of the Address at the
“Annual Lecture 2011” of the Association of Indian Diplomats, held at New Delhi
on 11 March 2011, with the co-operation of the Indian Council of World
Affairs.
(Text also
available at: http://vicepresidentofindia.nic.in/contents.asp?id=327)
_____________________________________
ARTICLES
SATINDER KUMAR LAMBAH: Former
Ambassador of India, presently the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister for
Afghanistan. (Edited text of the Fifth R.N. Kao Memorial Lecture delivered,
on 21 January 2011, New Delhi)
Securing India’s Future
through its Neighbourhood
Our future security and prosperity
depend as much on what we do within India as what we do beyond our borders.
Thus, India’s own position on the global stage and its capacity to
influence the direction of the world at large will depend both on our own
evolution and how we manage the neighbourhood. ... What happens to
one-sixth of humanity will be of great consequence to the world in the
twenty-first century. In turn, our own future, our destiny, our prosperity
and our security are linked to our neighbourhood. This reality must be a
constant guide to our national development and national security policies.
.
PRASANTA KUMAR PRADHAN: Associate
Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
GCC - Iran Rivalry and
Strategic Challenges for India in the Gulf
The conflict between Iran and the
GCC countries has severe regional implications for India. Issues like
energy security, dealing with the USA in the Gulf, Chinese influence in the
region, developments in Iraq, are all pressing issues which demand
immediate engagement. The growing Indian interests and influence in the
region should be complemented with a sound policy of dealing with the major
players, which remains a huge political and diplomatic challenge. Dealing
with the USA in the Gulf is a political and strategic challenge while China
primarily remains an economic rival. .... A peaceful and stable Gulf region
is in India’ interest and India needs to carefully nurture its policies in
the region. ...
AMITAVA TRIPATHI: Former
Ambassador of India to Brazil, Switzerland and the Vatican.
Prospects of India becoming
a Global Power
For a country whose very survival
as a modern nation state was doubted by many in the years before and after
our independence, India has come a long way in establishing itself as a key
player on the international scene. At the same time, despite numerous flaws
in the manner of its governance India has largely succeeded in forging a
nation from the diverse elements within its physical borders. India has
never been and most likely will never be a nation state after the Western
model. It is quintessentially a civilizational
state and consequently its moral and cultural boundaries extend far beyond
its physical frontiers. ...
BHASKAR BALAKRISHNAN: Former
Ambassador of India to Cuba and to Greece.
Role of Technology in
India’s Foreign Relations
Given the
pace of technological development, India will need to remain vigilant and
react with an agile foreign policy response to safeguard its interests in a
world where technology is a key determinant of global competitiveness and
power. In this effort, much closer collaboration between India’s scientific
and technical establishments and India’s foreign policy establishment will
be needed to generate wide awareness and sensitivity to key issues and
effectively respond to future challenges. Technology issues will need to be
carefully factored into foreign policy strategy and policy discussions,
formulation, and practice. ...
_____________________________________
ORAL
HISTORY
Last Days
of the Soviet Troops in Afghanistan
I. P. Khosla
Former
Ambassador of India to Afghanistan
The Soviet
intervention in Afghanistan, in 1979, their withdrawal 8 years later and subsequent
developments have drastically changed the strategic environment in the
region. By 1986, the Soviet Union had taken the decision to pull out. The
final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15,
1989. Ambassador I. P. Khosla was the Indian
envoy in Kabul from 1985 and saw the last of the Soviet tanks pull out. He
speaks to Indian Foreign Affairs Journal on his impressions
and experiences during those three and a half years. ...
_____________________________________
BOOK REVIEWS
ADITI BHADURI, CIPOD,
School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Ginu Zacharia Oommen, Ethnicity,
Marginality and Identity: The Jews of Cochin in Israel (New
Delhi: Manak, 2011) (New
Delhi: Manak, 2011), Pages: 337, Price: Rs.
495.00.
AVINASH GODBOLE Research
Assistant, Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
Jagannath P. Panda,
China’s
Path to Power: Party, Military and the Politics of State Transition (New Delhi:
IDSA, Pentagon Security International, 2010) ), Pages: 234, Price: Rs.
695.00.
|
_____________________________________
Vol 6, No. 2
Apr - Jun 2011
_____________________________________
Download Full Issue
DEBATE
India and
the Turmoil in the Arab World
The
“turmoil”, popularly termed as the “Arab Spring”, which started in Tunisia
and led to a quick exit of the country’s unpopular leader, gave rise to
hope amongst others in the Arab world. The dramatic events were further
fuelled by on-line activism through social network sites. Egypt was the
next to be set aflame. Encouraged by these events, in a few other places –
like Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Libya, etc. – activists initiated
demonstrations, hoping for similar reforms. The Egyptian President was
brought down but the expected domino effect stalled there for some time.
K.
P. Fabian: Former Ambassador to Qatar,
Finland and Italy
Arab March Towards Democracy
will be Slow and Asymptotic
While the
dawn of democracy in the Arab world might still be far away, the regimes
under threat are unlikely to recover their legitimacy in full. ... What is
in store for the Arab world? A slow, asymptotic march towards democracy? It
is easier to mobilize people to get rid of an autocrat. It is less easy to
mobilize them for establishing democracy. The unity of purpose vanishes as
soon the autocrat goes. ...
P.R.
Kumaraswamy: Chairperson / Professor at the
Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi
A Painful Path to
Democratization
While not
being a party to the unfolding drama, India is not a disinterested party.
Whatever happens in the Middle East will have far-reaching implications for
India and influence its economic growth.… But one thing is for sure: For
the Arab rulers and the masses alike status quo is no longer an option. ...
Rumel
Dahiya: Advisor, Military Affairs Cluster,
Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
India Should Help in
Restoring Peace
There will
be major changes in politics and governance across the region. India should
be prepared to do business with existing or incoming regimes and assist
them in ways that help restore peace and stability in the region, which is
of vital importance to it. ...
Sameena
Hameed: Assistant Professor. India - Arab
Cultural Centre, Jamia Millia
Islamia, New Delhi
India Needs to Move from
‘Mild’ to the ‘Middle’
Post-Arab
spring, India’s trajectory in the Arab world will not suffer any reverses
due to its current positions but may lose the potential momentum, as these
nations will look for reliable partners for their reconstruction and
political consolidation, when other powers may readily move in. A middle
path is consistent with India’s interest and image than a mild one. ...
_____________________________________
ARTICLES
R.
K. Bhatia: Former High Commissioner /
Ambassador Of India To South Africa, Lesotho, Mexico, Kenya And Myanmar.
South Asia’s Destiny:
Conflict or Cooperation
The key
challenge facing not just governments but societies in South Asia is to
manage negative tendencies and strengthen positive trends. The degree of
success will determine whether we can reduce tensions and conflict and
enlarge cooperation … A key step towards addressing the conflict or
cooperation dilemma is to recognize that … South Asia need(s) to work on
both fronts, namely to remove the causes of conflict and to build on new
models of cooperation, especially economic cooperation, given that poverty
remains the central, shared challenge. ...
Savita
Pande: Professor, Centre For South,
Central, Southeast Asian And Southwest Pacific Studies, School Of
International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Pakistan after Abbotabad
Confusion
about Pakistan’s exact role in the operation remains, the clarification by
the ISI chief at the joint session of Parliament notwithstanding. The
credibility of both the military and intelligence suffered a serious blow,
as also of the civilian government. Preponderance of the former in
Pakistan’s political scenario has of course led to a greater part of all
discussions being focused on it. The CIA chief was clear that Pakistan
could not be told about the ultimate plan for fear of it being leaked.
Others in the US acknowledged Pakistan’s help for cooperating to lead to
the ultimate US operation. ..
MOHAMMED BADRUL ALAM and
AMIT KUMAR GUPTA: (a) Professor, and (b)
Doctoral Research Scholar respectively at the Department of Political
Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi .
Destination Africa: China,
India and Japan:
The three
Asian giants are unique in their own ways when one analyses the nature of
their engagement with Africa. China does not … shy away from assisting or
making contacts with authoritarian governments, and has particularly
involved itself in extensive infrastructure building and in having huge
investment. India, which possesses the tag of being the largest democracy
in the world has emerged as one of the dominant capacity builders in the
region. India is viewed “more as an inspiration than a way to fill
coffers”; Japan on the other hand is viewed as the land of entrepreneurs
and high tech know how that can be counted upon to advance and accelerate
the industrial growth rate and economic pace across the African region.
Rajaram
Panda and Ch. Viyyanna Sastry: (a) Senior
Fellow and (b) Research Fellow respectively, at the Institute for Defence
Studies and Analysis, New Delhi
India and Japan: Prospects
for Civil Nuclear Cooperation:
India-Japan
bilateral ties have expanded in recent years in security and strategic
domains and economic ties. This paper, however, particularly explores
cooperation in the exchange of nuclear technology. This area has high
potential for growth. India is looking for various sources of energy to
meet the increasing demand to sustain its economic growth. Japan in turn
has developed high-technology expertise in the nuclear field. These factors
could be combined to take the India-Japan relationship forward. ... This
paper discusses the current debate in Japan and the dilemma about forging
civil nuclear cooperation with India. The possible impact of the Fukushima
incident on Japan’s nuclear future is also evaluated. The paper concludes
that Fukushima is a reminder to countries around the world to move towards
putting stringent safety mechanisms in place to make nuclear energy a
reliable and clean source of energy, but neither Japan nor India can do
away with nuclear energy as an option for its energy security policy. ..
_____________________________________
ORAL
HISTORY
Climate
Change Negotiations -
Guarding
the ‘Overriding Priorities’
Chandrasekhar Dasgupta
Member of the
Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change; and Distinguished Fellow at The
Energy and Resources Institute (TERI )
Ambassador
Chandrasekhar Dasgupta, has been intimately
connected with the entire debate on the subject since the beginning. He
narrates the evolution of the climate change debate, the concerns and the
nitty-gritty of the negotiations, the “confusing signals” sent out by India
during the Copenhagen Conference (2009) and before the Cancun Summit
(2010), the present state of play and what the future may hold. ...
_____________________________________
BOOK
REVIEWS
A.S. Bhasin: Former
Director, Historical Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
Lakhan Mehrotra, My Days in Sri Lanka (New
Delhi: Har-Anand, 2011), Pages: 254, Price: Rs.595.00.
SITAKANTA MISRA: Research
Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi
Robert S. Anderson, Nucleus
and Nation: Scientists, International Networks, and Power in India (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2010), Pages: xxvi+683,
Price: $60.00.
ALOK BANSAL: Senior
Fellow, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi
B.M. Kutty,
Sixty Years in Self Exile: No Regrets – A Political Autobiography
(Karachi: Pakistan Studies Centre & Pakistan Labour Trust, 2011),
Pages: 562, Price: Pk Rs 600.00.
|
_____________________________________
Vol 6, No.
3 Jul - Sep
2011
_____________________________________
Download Full Issue
DEBATE
Afghanistan
- Post US 'draw-down' and India
SATISH
CHANDRA: Former Deputy National Security
Advisor, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan and currently Distinguished
Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi,
Pursue an Activist Policy,
Reaching out to All Players
US
withdrawal is not something India should be overly concerned about. Indeed,
it may work to India’s advantage. In this context India needs to consider
that it is the US presence in Afghanistan that has allowed Pakistan to milk
it for billions of dollars of military and economic assistance, to India’s
disadvantage, without doing anything to reduce Pakistan’s export of
terrorism to India. Withdrawal from Afghanistan will free the US of such
Pakistani blackmail and deprive the Pakistani military and economy of a
major source of sustenance. …
… An activist and constructive approach by India will help enhance its role
and secure its interests in Afghanistan and is certainly better than the
reactive manner in which it tends to conduct its foreign policy.
ARVIND
GUPTA and ASHOK K. BEHURIA: Lal Bahadur Shastri Chair in Strategic and Defence Studies
and Research Fellow respectively at the Institute for Defence Studies and
Analyses, New Delhi
Limited Options for India
amidst Growing Uncertainty
India’s
choices are limited. India should refrain from getting bogged down in
Afghanistan but should pursue quiet diplomacy involving all sections of the
people. Building on the good work it has done during the last few years in
Afghanistan, India should leverage its soft power in building capacities in
Afghanistan. One important element of Indian policies should be to
establish and maintain contacts with the youth of Afghanistan and
facilitate their coming to India for education and skill building. For the
moment, India should watch the situation and await opportunities where it
can be more useful.
VIDYA SHANKAR AIYAR: Senior
journalist and Strategic Analyst
The Hype about India’s
Strategic Role
Indian
policy so far has been on a safe track of winning hearts and minds in
Afghanistan, while seeking to remain engaged in strategic terms in any
dialogue of interested parties on its future. However, there is precious
little that is in India’s control strategically. Nor should it seek to
change that position in any hurry, if at all. There is no reason for India
to feel either disappointed or elated at the prospect of a US drawdown.
There are several reasons for remaining concerned, though not obsessed,
with Afghanistan.
H.E. Mr. HAMID KARZAI: President
of Afghanistan
Afghanistan will Benefit from
the Strength of India*
India
fortunately has the strength to help us. This is for Afghanistan to use the
possibilities that India has and offers to make our life better, to educate
our children, to train our police, to train our army, to train our physicians,
to train our lab technicians. The strategic partnership that we have is to
support Afghanistan develop. I am sure this partnership will benefit us.
*To enrich
the debate, a transcript of the Third RK Mishra
Memorial Lecture by the President of Afghanistan, delivered in New Delhi on
5 October 2011, under the auspices of the Observer Research Foundation, New
Delhi, is also being reproduced with their permission. Transcript
available at:
http://www.orfonline.com/cms/sites/orfonline/documents/other/speech-hk.html
_____________________________________
ARTICLES
T.
P. SREenivasan: Former Permanent Representative of
India to the UN Offices at Vienna, former Deputy Permanent Representative
to the UN at New York and presently, Member of the National Security
Advisory Board.
UNSC: Resistance to
Revolutionary Change
The UN
needs reform not to make one country or the other happy, but to make itself
more relevant, credible and effective in the world and it will be ready for
a revolution sooner rather than later. A time will come when global
governance will not be possible without the participation of countries like
Germany, Japan, India, Brazil and South Africa in the Security Council.
When that happens, the provisions of the Charter will not stand in the way
of restructuring the UN just as they did not stand in the way of expanding
the agenda or ignoring anachronistic ideas and institutions. Fundamental
changes cannot come like rain drops, they come like avalanches. The
amendments route will, at best, create a third category of members with
long or permanent terms in the Council, but without being equal to the
original permanent members. What the UN requires is not a fix, but a
fundamental change to reflect the realities of the present century
VINOD
KHANNA: Former Ambassador of India to
Indonesia, Bhutan, and to Cuba; the first DG of the 'India-Taipei
Association' office in Taiwan (the de-facto Indian Mission)
India’s Soft Balancing with
China and US in the 21st Century
In the
coming decades India will have to devote much attention to the creation and
maintenance of an optimal India-China-USA triangle. But it is a fair assumption
that the American concern about China’s emergence as a rival power, and
China’s keenness to ensure that India does not become an active member of a
US-led China containment policy will ensure that a self-confident ‘rising’
India will not be without diplomatic options. All in all, India and USA
must reduce trust deficit with China to ensure better understanding of each
other’s strategic intentions so that policies are not based on the
assumption that worst case scenario is a probable one. India clearly needs
to pursue a two-pronged China policy. On the one hand, India’s strategic
thinkers should carefully analyze China’s moves which have the potential to
adversely affect its interests and take effective steps to safeguard its
interests. On the other, it would be in India’s interest to pursue areas of
mutually beneficial engagement, both in a bilateral and in a multilateral
framework.
MONIKA CHANSORIA: Senior
Fellow, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi, , where she heads the
China-study project.
India and China: A Case of
Constrained Cooperation
Although,
both Beijing and New Delhi desire improvements in bilateral relations, ties
have been constantly stymied by a paucity of parallel and competing
interests. The India-China equation makes for a classic case of the realist
vs. idealist debate wherein there is an emerging sense that while
recognizing and taking cognizance of India’s rise as a regional power,
China is attempting to make inroads into India’s immediate and extended
neighbourhood by virtue of broadening economic and security linkages.
The
realist mode could be described as one which counteracts and negates the
understanding that the economic facet of Sino-Indian ties would constitute
the key to the success of the future relationship. In all firmness,
economic stakes and convergences cannot take the liberty of discounting the
existential strategic divergences which shall only confirm to becoming a
future spoiler in the Sino-Indian relationship, as both contend for a
larger share of the global economic and strategic pie.
SHEEL
KANT SHARMA: Till recently, the Secretary
General of SAARC; Former Ambassador of India to Austria / Permanent
Representative of India to International Organisations in Vienna
South Asian Regionalism: Prospects
and Challenges
Although
set up in 1985, SAARC has made more tangible gains since 2004.
To tap
full potential of regional integration it requires fulfillment
of certain conditions and setting out of clear priorities. Thrust for
regionalism has to be substantial and consistent. Absent a common
commitment in the ministries of government and among thought-leaders, even
media, this may remain, at best, weak.
Rajiv
K. Bhatia: Former High Commissioner/
Ambassador of India to Myanmar, South Africa, Lesotho, Mexico, and Kenya.
India - Myanmar
Relations: The Way Forward
India -
Myanmar relations are important not only for these two countries, but for
the region concerned, namely South Asia and Southeast Asia. …
Against a
long historical background, these have developed considerably. Progress in
the past decade has been particularly remarkable. Developments in 2010 and
early 2011 clearly necessitate a constructive reappraisal.
Stronger
and more diversified Myanmar-India relations will not only promote mutual
benefit, they will also be hugely beneficial for the region as a whole.
However, it is time for Myanmar, under the new Government, to indicate to
the world the scope of enhancing inclusive governance at home as well as
the real contours of its Asia policy, especially whether it will be based
on a calibrated balance.
_____________________________________
ORAL
HISTORY
India’s
‘Rediscovery’ of the East
Sudhir T. Devare
Director
General, Indian Council of World Affairs, Former Ambassador of India to Republic
of Korea, to Indonesia and to Ukraine; Former Secretary, Ministry of
External Affairs responsible for relations with South East Asia;
According
to him: The world “Look East” has been very fashionable over recent years
implying that India ‘started’ looking East - perhaps for the first time. In
fact, India has always looked to the East; India’s association with the
East dates back to thousands of years. … What happened recently during the
Cold War period can be described as a brief gap in our understanding with
the East. … “We, in fact, began ‘re-discovering’ the East”, he adds.
_____________________________________
BOOK
REVIEWS
K L. DALAL, Former Ambassador of India
to Austria and to Thailand
K. H. Patel, An Envoy
Looks Back – A Memoir, (New Delhi: Har-Anand
Publications Pvt. Ltd., 2011), Pages: 164, Price: Rs 495.00.
.
KANICA RAKHRA: Research
Associate, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi
V.R. Raghavan,
Nuclear
Disarmament: India-EU Perspectives, ed., (New Delhi: Delhi
Policy Group and Vij Books India Pvt. Ltd., 2011)
PRASANTA KUMAR PRADHAN: Associate
Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
Geoffrey Kemp, The East
Moves West: India, China and Asia’s Growing Presence in the Middle East (Washington,
D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2010), Pages: 326, Price: $29.95.
|
_____________________________________
Vol 6, No.
4 Oct - Dec
2011
_____________________________________
Download Full Issue
DEBATE
India and
Bangladesh – a New Phase in Bilateral Relations
DEB MUKHARJI: Former
Ambassador of India to Bangladesh and to Nepal
Seize the Opportunity
... the
visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does mark a watershed in
India-Bangladesh relations. It is a watershed between maintaining a
cautious distance and recognition of the benefits that could accrue through
genuine cooperation. It is a watershed between a transactional relationship
and one of mutual confidence to achieve common goals.
... only
the future that would show if the two countries have the commitment and the
stamina to translate into reality the vision that has been on display. ...
But for a harmonious forward movement on the areas laid out in the
Framework Agreement and the Joint Statement, coordination among the
numerous agencies involved is essential and, above all, continued political
direction and involvement.
M.
Harun-Ar-RashiD: Former Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Army; Former
High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji; and,
Secretary General of the ‘Sector Commanders Forum’ established in 2006 by
the surviving Sector Commanders of the 1971 Liberation War.
Let us Prove that Past is
Past
The
greatest challenge is to transform the agreements and understanding reached
between the leaders of the two nations into reality. The two countries need
to prove that the past is past. The intended beneficiaries have to be able
to reap the benefits of the agreements.
All
concerned must rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity to improve
the lot of the people of both countries. The people on both sides of the
border are willing and eager to cooperate. Only, the administrations have
to move faster. It is to be hoped that good sense prevails in all those who
are responsible for implementing the agreements in the true spirit in which
they were crafted and remain friends in need to each other.
Smruti
S. Patanayak: Research Fellow, The Institute for
Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi
Make the People the
Ultimate Stakeholders
India
needs to take speedy decisions and undertake projects that are visible and
that will connect it directly to the people of Bangladesh. The people of
both countries must be made to feel that they are the ultimate stakeholders
in the relationship. This can happen only when the benefits of the
cooperation accrue to the people and are also visible. Building a
communication networks and providing trade concessions will build such stakeholders,
whose interest will be intertwined with better bilateral relations. Any
such relationship that has the common people as the major stakeholders
would be hard to derail.
SREERADHA DATTA:
Director, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata
Show Tangible Results
Leading to Visible Benefits
Dhaka and Delhi need to go far
beyond just an assertion of their traditional political and historical
links. Gen Next expects much more than just platitudes and hopes to see
tangible results leading to visible benefits, right at its doorsteps. While
the two countries are now engaged in breaking down many of the trade
barriers, which held them hostage for long, it will also be necessary to
show visible progress in their various other joint agreements within the
shortest possible time.
Mutually beneficial projects and
agreements will always find favour irrespective of the governments of the
day in New Delhi or Dhaka. The next two years would thus be critical. Bangladesh
needs more than ever to feel the tangible gains that only a large neighbour
like India can offer.
_____________________________________
ARTICLES
CHINTAMANI MAHAPATRA: Professor
of American Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi.
India-China-Pakistan
Triangle: The US Factor
Among the
three countries in the triangle, it is China that has come out relatively
more successful in using its America policy to bolster its status in the
global hierarchy of power. But the future is likely to be favourable to
India. The US will view India as a partner and China will most likely be a
competitor and at worst a rival. Chinese analysts appear concerned that the
Indo-US strategic partnership is aimed against China. There is also a view
that by establishing closer ties with India, the US has been able to weaken
the Russia-China-India strategic triangle. Nonetheless, India is unlikely
to take sides in any future Sino-US conflict. Nor is India going to accept
the G-2 concept where India’s emerging global role would be overshadowed.
India will most likely remain non-aligned in any future Sino-US cold war,
but will work against the emergence of a G-2 world.
UTTAM KUMAR SINHA: Research
Fellow, The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi
and Adjunct Professor at the Malaviya Centre for
Peace Research, Benares Hindu University.
China: Geopolitics of a
Thirsty Nation
China’s
upper riparian position and its enormous domestic requirement gives water a
strategic characteristic, and as such, different levels of trust and
mistrust and cooperation and misperception are seen. The future stability
of the Tibetan watershed would depend upon stable supply of water. Any
river basin agreement is largely a reflection of the political situation
within the basin. Therefore there is a need for a constant and focused
dialogue among the riparian countries. ... Suggestions that the Tibetan
rivers, geologically called the “circum-Himalayan rivers”, be treated as
“global commons” or “natural heritage for humankind” would clearly be
anathema to China. However, such suggestions merit attention, given the
large humanity dependent on the water resources from the Himalayan
glaciers. ...
Serious
effort for a coalition of lower riparians, specifically
to draw China into a water dialogue, is attainable in spite of the fact
that many of them have a strategic partnership with China. It needs to be
emphasized that dialogue amongst riparians will
benefit both the upper and lower riparians. China’s
expertise and knowledge in dam building helps to enhance its power and
influence and may influence some, but the coalition is worth promoting.
RAMAN PURI and ARUN SAHGAL: Respectively,
Former Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) and currently Executive
Director of the Institute of National Security Studies; and, Joint Director
at the Institute and Visiting Fellow, Vivekananda International Centre, New
Delhi.
South China Sea Dispute -
Implication for India
ASEAN
states are especially concerned because China historically has shown
readiness to use military force to settle disputes within what it regards
as its sphere of influence. China’s build-up of naval forces is seen as
expanding this sphere in the South China Sea through build-up of force projection
capabilities. The Chinese moves at attaining blue-water naval capability
are viewed by some as spawning a naval arms race among Asian states.
Where
India is concerned, it has no strategic interests beyond economic
engagement and security of its trade. It has entered into legal contracts
with sovereign states, which are legally binding. It is important for China
to recognize these facts and resolve any contentious issues in a spirit of
mutual accommodation and cooperation, without being unduly jingoistic.
AMITA BATRA: Associate
Professor for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Rise of India and China:
Regional and Global Perspectives
The last decade has been witness
to a spectacular rise of India and China as the fastest growing economies
with impressive levels of trade integration with the global economy. Their
economic dynamism that has been apparent even in the wake of the financial
crisis has made their contribution to global growth even more significant
and critical. In the context of India and China emerging as the future
global growth poles, this paper makes an attempt to provide a perspective
on the multi-dimensional rise of the two Asian economies highlighting the
many similarities and differences that are apparent in their economic
interaction and exchange within the Asian region and the rest of the world
as also the implications for the evolving regional and global economic
architecture.
_____________________________________
ORAL HISTORY
Many
Firsts - Establishment of Berkeley Chairs of India Studies
Satinder K. Lambah
Special
Envoy of the Prime Minister,
Former
Consul General of India at San Francisco during 1989–91
With his “encouragement”, the Indian
community in the east Coast of United States contributed to the
establishment of two Chairs of India Studies at the University of
California, Berkeley, the first such at a university in the US. His
achievement in galvanizing the community, coordinating the fund-raising
efforts, etc. was recognized by the University of California, Berkeley,
which, in an unusual gesture, conferred the 1991 Trustees’ Citation Award
on him. He narrates the pioneering efforts culminating in establishment of
the chairs and an annual lecture, in addition to reviving a
scholarship scheme.
_____________________________________
BOOK
REVIEWS
D. S.
RAJAN:
Director, Chennai Centre for Chinese Studies, Chennai.
Henry Kissinger, On China (London: Allen
Lane, Penguin Group, 2011), Pages: 586, Price: Rs. 899.00
BALKRISHNA SHETTY: Former
Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal, to Bahrain and to Sweden.
K. P. Fabian, Diplomacy: Indian Style (New
Delhi: Har - Anand
Publications, 2012), Pages: 257, Price: Rs. 595.00
VIKASH RANJAN:
Research Fellow, at Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi
Vijay
Sakhuja, Re-invigorating
IOR-ARC,
Ed., (New Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2012), Pages: 174, Price : Rs. 695.00
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