Is India ready for a global role?
IN the recent past, no other visit of foreign heads of state to India caught the attention of media and people, both in India and its neighbouring countries, than the visit of President Barack Hussein Obama to New Delhi. His visit was watched closely for two reasons: to what extent the growing Indo-US bonhomie has implications for global power configuration and what influence it would have on the regional power dynamics.
President Obama's visit to India was significant on many counts. First, it symbolised a new phase in Indo-US relations as an understanding was reached on nuclear liability, paving the way for civil nuclear energy cooperation; second, the appearance of strategy synergy between the two countries on issues concerning the South China sea, terrorism and renewal of quadrilateral cooperation between India, US, Australia and Japan; and third, the reinvigoration of strategic dialogue that has been stagnating for years. US withdrawal from Afghanistan, its focus on Indo-Pacific and its emphasis on Asian rebalance would have significant bearing on the region.
Terrorism is another important issue that was emphasised and assumes significance in the context of the rise of ISIS and the implications it has for the region. This found a specific mention in his speech when he said: “Both our countries have known the anguish of terror and we stand committed to the defence of our people.”
Unlike the earlier United Progressive Alliance government; the National Democratic Alliance government led by Prime Minister Modi appears to be clearer on the foreign policy priorities that the government wants to chart, and a possible road map to achieve these objectives. The number of visits that the Prime Minister Modi has undertaken and the visits of leaders from other important countries signals the reinvigoration of India's foreign policy and its global outreach. It also signaled that India is no more wary of its relations with the United States or calculating the Chinese reaction to its strategic engagement. Government's ability to engage Japan, China and Unites States without any strategic cost to the country is significant. Prime Minister Modi's successful visit to United States last year laid the foundation of a new synergy. Moreover, his personal rapport with the Chinese president and Japanese prime minster also gives him the advantage to deepen engagement without making anyone suspicious of India's intentions.
As a mark of confidence, India is going to upgrade the Malabar exercise designed for interoperability and enhance cooperation which was suspended. Japan was invited to participate in this year's exercise. India had kept the exercise bilateral after China raised objection to the 2007 exercise where Japan, Australia and Singapore participated. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Japan and India's deepened defence cooperation with Vietnam have not made China happy. The Indian prime minister clearly mentioned to President Xi Jinping that resolving border dispute would be one of the important priorities if China wants the bilateral relations to make progress. Given these developments in the past six months, President Obama's visit assumes significance for India's strategic outreach.
Among his numerous engagements, his address to the young and a crosssection of people in the Siri Fort auditorium in the heart of Delhi was extraordinary for its clarity and how he looked at US-India partnership and the challenges that lie for the future. While he underlined India's role in the world and reminded that such a role comes with a 'responsibility;' he had a word of caution for multi-religious and multi-linguistic country like India. He quoted Article 25 of the Indian constitution to remind the government and state to protect the right to preach, profess and practice religion. He said: “India will succeed so long as it is not splintered on religious lines. Every person has a right to practice the faith that they choose and to practice no faith at all and to do so free of persecution, fear or discrimination.” He made this statement in reference to both United States and India where such intolerance is having a corrosive effect on the societal harmony. For quite some time the right wing elements initiated programme on “GharWapsi” has caught the attention of liberal intelligentsia in India who thought that BJP would deliver good governance and check corruption but in the process they had not bargained for degeneration of the country's diversity and plurality. There has been no assurance from the prime minister that the fundamentals of constitution of India will remain intact. Rather, Shiv Sena, a political ally of the BJP, has gone ahead to demand that secularism and socialism need to be dropped from Preamble of the Indian constitution. This time only former BJP president Venkiah Naidu criticised the Shiv Sena statement. BJP's attempt to reign in the likes of Sakhi Maharaj has no bearing on the party and its affiliates.
In the past six months the NDA government has steered the country in the path of a definite vision as is evident in the successful engagement with important and diverse countries of the world which Congress could not envision; its failure to address internal cleavages that is being widened by fringe elements proudly displaying their party affiliation is going to be the greatest undoing of the positive story that the government has so far spawned.
The writer is a political and security analyst.
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