Archive for the ‘Foreign Policy’ Category
K.P. Nayar takes us inside India-Pakistan Statement at Shar-el Sheikh
K.P. Nayar’s excellent piece takes us inside the Sharm-el Sheikh Statement.
For those who missed out on what Sharm-el Sheikh was, though it seems improbable to do so, here is brief backgrounder: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Yousaf Gilani met at the sidelines of the NAM Summit at Sahrm-el Sheikh last month and issued a Joint Statement. Both leaders affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and co-operate with each other in the Joint Statement issued at Sharm el Sheikh. There was also agreement to share real-time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threat. The Joint Statement further added that “action on terror should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed” and that “terrorism is the main threat to both countries.” India also sought to address Pakistan’s anxieties on Baluchistan by emphasizing non-involvement in the internal disturbances.
Here is how the Government of India conducted itself in the first major bilateral interaction after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The following piece appeared in the August 25th edition of The Telegraph.
A typical conversation with an Indian ambassador, or any Indian diplomat for that matter, in the last five weeks began with the diplomat asking in obvious disbelief: “How did this happen?”
The “this” in the question is a reference to the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement of July 16, which put it on record that Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani “mentioned” to Manmohan Singh “that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas”. The implication was that the threats came from India in the form of cross-border terrorism. Click to continue…
Finally the Indian Foreign Service Opts for Change
On July 17, I posted an article “Daniel Markey on Developing India’s Foreign Policy Software.” The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) seems to have taken Daniel’s recommendations seriously, though there is no explicit mention of it. In a news report carried in the August 11 edition of The Economic Times, winds of change are sweeping India’s foreign office. The proposed reforms are impressive but any tangible change will depend on genuine and consistent implementation.
The elite IFS that powers India’s global diplomacy and manages relations with nations is changing. Mid Career training and specialization are the new mantra. Promotions were a matter of aging gracefully, but now even senior diplomats have to prove themselves to move up the career ladder. In a never-before event, 30 joint secretary rank diplomats - or mid-career diplomats - due for promotion were sent to the Indian School of Business, the country’s top business school, at Hyderabad to reorient them to the new challenges of economic diplomacy in a business-driven world. Click to continue…
India Should Designate a Special Envoy for Pakistan
Former President of United States Bill Clinton has re-defined the face of diplomacy by 
securing the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Relations between the U.S. and North Korea have been at an all time low following the recent missile tests by the latter. Despite a strained relationship, Bill Clinton, supported by the U.S. diplomatic machinery, was successful in initiating the confidence building process with the North Korean leadership. Can India learn a lesson from the incident? Is it possible for India to designate a Special Envoy or diplomatic mission to break ice with Pakistan? Click to continue…
Indo-US Relations: The Partnership Rhetoric Syndrome
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s recent visit to India highlighted, more than anything else, the vision variance between the two countries. It has been proved that commitment to democracy and the rhetoric of shared vision cannot be panacea for inter-state differences. Disagreements are a part of bilateral relations but the divergence in approaches of India and the U.S. point to deeper schisms. It was a champion versus challenger duel in which the challenger is still lacking vital skills.
Diplomacy comes to Rescue India’s Foreign Policy: A Case of Tharoor as External Affairs Minister
I have for long held the view that India’s foreign policy lacks diplomacy. India has failed to realize that foreign policy is about protecting national interests while diplomacy is about how these interests are protected; foreign policy is more about objectives while diplomacy is about strategy. Foreign policy has a strong element of continuity; diplomacy is expected to be dynamic. So far India’s foreign policy has sought to achieve most of the traditional objectives that any nation-state aspires for – territorial integrity, augmentation of national power and prestige, carving a leadership role in international affairs. But there has been something amiss in India’s foreign policy. In my analysis what India lacks is the force of diplomacy in communicating her foreign policy objectives to the world and ensuring international support for the same. India has not been able to translate the strengths of her national democracy and economy as stimulants for generating regional and international respect and awe. India has for long aspired for a leadership role but has not been able to project itself as nation whose leadership the region and the world desires; former is the task of foreign policy, the latter of diplomacy.
Fortunately now it appears to me that diplomacy is all set to characterize the next phase of India’s foreign policy. My hope emerges partly from the recent mandate for political stability in the country but primarily from a related development. Shashi Tharoor has been elected as Member of Parliament from Thiruvanathapuram. Click to continue…
India’s Poor Show at Munich Conference
The Munich Security Conference 2009 was a forum for dialogue on global security issues, enthusiastically attended by leaders of over 50 nations. India was represented by National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan, but failed leave an impression, magnifying the shortcomings of Indian diplomacy.
Photo by Harald Dettenborn Click to continue…