Message is clear on Centre’s foreign policy
Few will disagree that during the BJP-led NDA Government's first three months in power, it is the foreign policy sector that has improved most visibly and dramatically. It carries the indelible imprint of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj laid out the overarching vision guiding the new Government's efforts to shape India's engagement with the world. At the crux lie three key words: Proactive, strong and sensitive. Notably, none of these refers to ideological (non-alignment) or strategic (no interference in the sovereign affairs of another country) ideals. Those fundamentals of Indian foreign policy remain unchanged, as they should. Instead, the Modi Government's mantra focuses on delivering diplomacy. Take, for example, its emphasis on South Asia. New Delhi has always had a strong regional policy — so much so that it has even been accused of short-sightedness on the global stage. Yet, under the Manmohan Singh Government, India had begun to lose friends and influence even in South Asia. The Modi Government has reversed that process. His invitation to all South Asian leaders for his inauguration, his landmark trips to Bhutan and Nepal, and also Ms Swaraj's equally successful tour of Bangladesh, have re-invigorated the sub-continent which has for long been one of the most disconnected regions of the world. This is proactive diplomacy at its best.
The same observation also applies to India's Pakistan policy. Six decades of acrimony and four military conflicts notwithstanding, successive Indian Governments have always been committed to having a friendly relationship with Pakistan. Yet, long-term peace has been elusive. It is too early to say if the Modi Government will deliver anything substantial on this front. But at least it has made clear that unlike previous regimes, it will zealously protect Indian interests in the process —even it means some bad PR, as the cancellation of the Foreign Secretary level talks last month stands proof. Driven by an unrealistic desire to secure some sort of a peace deal with Pakistan, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had almost gambled away India's dignity; his Government's agreeing to an uninterrupted, unconditional dialogue with Pakistan weakened the country’s position at the negotiating table. But the Modi regime has changed that equation. It has signalled to Pakistan that India is no pushover, that it will not tolerate double standards, and that it will talk peace with a state which is sincere in its reciprocation of the sentiment.
This side of the new regime’s diplomacy is best seen in its approach to China. Given Beijing’s economic might and aggressive nationalism, the Asian giant that stomps in India's extended backyard has always posed a challenge. Unable to offer innovative solutions to the many issues on which India and China have differences, New Delhi has usually taken a pacifist approach. But for the Modi Government, which seeks to deepen economic cooperation with China, this isn't good enough. The India-China relationship cannot grow to its full potential unless outstanding issues, such as the border dispute, are resolved. Ms Swaraj's reference to the ‘One India’ policy which Beijing must respect, as India respects the ‘One China’ policy, has come not a day soon.