Indian Foreign Policy

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srikandan
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by srikandan »

https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1484589590073978880
German Navy Chief VAdm Kay-Achim Schönbach at @IDSAIndia
event in Delhi: Bilateral partnership means nothing. When it comes to continental war, I believe thr will be war, not in next 2-3 years, but decades... Thr must be closer alliances
Seems like some backhanded way of saying India needs to join some neo-colonial white-christian alliance, against who exactly? Germany is doing business with China, Russia and USA, so what exactly is this Nazi trying to say.

Okay, India can do a lot in the IOR..what exactly is Germany's Navy capable of? Like the old tamil saying: "you bring the rice, I will bring the chaff, and then we can enjoy some pounded rice".
Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

Some academic myth busting by Dr SJ.
And of course any interaction with him is great learning.

Rony
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

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ramana
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by ramana »

Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

Ha ha ! Some official flattery (RAND is a pooch of State Dept.) is due after ticking off India by raking up Kashmir issue in many different ways and selling mil upgrades to Pak. What part of Dr SJ's statement "we dont need approval certificates from others" they do not understand ? Still, all good fun, isn't it ;)
Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

Lots of serious prep seems to be going on led by the MEA for India's upcoming presidency of the G20, which comes at a seminal moment when the geopolitical lines are being redrawn across the globe.

Should we have a separate thread for this? Are there willing forumites who can contribute to this topic from and Indian and non Indian perspectives?
ramana
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by ramana »

Cyrano wrote:Lots of serious prep seems to be going on led by the MEA for India's upcoming presidency of the G20, which comes at a seminal moment when the geopolitical lines are being redrawn across the globe.

Should we have a separate thread for this? Are there willing forumites who can contribute to this topic from and Indian and non Indian perspectives?
Its a landmark event and should have its own thread.
Yes, we don't have eminent forumites but such a thread will inspire the eminent Lurkers!
So please start and gradually it will build momentum.
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

Will do. Ramana garu.

Meanwhile Dr SJ speaks on a range of topics while in Australia:
ramana
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by ramana »

Another address by Dr. S. Jaishankar at Lowy Institue, Australia

Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

Dr SJ interview with Ashley Tellis

Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

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bala
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by bala »

S. Jaishankar in local Chennai at Thuglak magazine anniversary in MacCauley's language ..

ramana
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by ramana »

A post on different area studies centers of India

Center for SAARC Studies, Andhra
University, Visakhapatnam;
Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

Recent events have brought into focus the poor levels of investment and staffing of our missions abroad. Many of our properties were acquired/leased in a bygone era when we could not afford better. Our FS staffers abroad cannot be subjected to this kind of physical dangers and threats.

Dr SJ has been very discreet and never complained in public but he did say that the EAM was grossly underfunded and understaffed. Much smaller nations like Singapore operate at a much much larger scale.

It's time to upgrade our missions in G20 countries to levels befitting a global top 5 economy. But more importantly, move into compounds that offer greater security and privacy, protected by our own special security corps like the Americans do.
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by vimal »

Cyrano wrote:Recent events have brought into focus the poor levels of investment and staffing of our missions abroad. Many of our properties were acquired/leased in a bygone era when we could not afford better. Our FS staffers abroad cannot be subjected to this kind of physical dangers and threats.

Dr SJ has been very discreet and never complained in public but he did say that the EAM was grossly underfunded and understaffed. Much smaller nations like Singapore operate at a much much larger scale.

It's time to upgrade our missions in G20 countries to levels befitting a global top 5 economy. But more importantly, move into compounds that offer greater security and privacy, protected by our own special security corps like the Americans do.
Wholeheartedly agree. Indian consulates are often situated in cheaper and far off places. While Singapore/Chinese ones are in more upscale downtown locations.
ramana
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by ramana »

https://indianexpress.com/article/opini ... e-8540982/

Former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran writes: China is firmly in Russia’s corner — India needs to take note
China has the capacity to limit Russian engagement with India, including in defence. This must enter our foreign policy and security calculations
Written by Shyam Saran


Xi Jinping’s state visit to Russia from March 21 to 23 is of greater significance than is apparent in most analytical comments in India and abroad. It carried forward the promise of the “no-limits partnership” and “no forbidden areas of cooperation” contained in the February 4, 2022, Sino-Russian Joint Statement issued during Russian President Putin’s visit to Beijing for the Winter Olympics. That was before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine later that month. If there were doubts whether the promise of a more substantive strategic partnership between the two countries would survive the Ukraine crisis, the answer is clear. The Ukraine war has not diminished Chinese commitment to such partnership; in fact, it has enhanced it. The reasons are two-fold.

One, China is convinced that the United States and its allies are determined to contain it. At the recently concluded session of the National People’s Congress, Xi Jinping said, “Western countries led by the US have implemented all round containment and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to the country’s development.”


This is the first time that such a charge has been made at the highest level in China. Xi does not say that the US and the West are attempting to contain China but that they have already “implemented” such a policy and must therefore be countered. In this context, the partnership with Russia, also subject to containment by the US and the West, becomes indispensable to pursuing a counter-strategy. In other remarks made during the visit, Xi conveyed this with even greater clarity, calling for “an all-encompassing partnership and strategic interaction in a world threatened by acts of hegemony, despotism and bullying”.

Two, both sides continue to believe that despite their current dominance, the US and the West in general are in terminal decline. The balance of power is changing, according to them, in their favour and the change could be hastened if China and Russia were to team up. This assessment was dramatically broadcast across the world in a clip, which recorded Putin bidding farewell to Xi Jinping at the end of the visit. Xi is heard saying to Putin, “Change is coming that hasn’t happened in a hundred years. And we are driving this change together.” And Putin replies, “I agree.”


This brief exchange just about sums up the current logic of the Sino-Russian partnership. In the joint statement issued at the end of the visit, the same point is underscored: “They shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity.” Therefore, China could hardly pursue a mediatory role between Ukraine and Russia as had been expected by some analysts. And the anticipated phone call between Xi and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy never materialised.

Some European countries have credited China for having restrained Russia from threatening the use of nuclear weapons. Within a week of Xi’s departure from Moscow Putin announced that he would be stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus. One has seen no statement of concern from China over this Russian return to nuclear brinkmanship.

China is no longer a neutral party in the Ukraine crisis. It is firmly in Russia’s corner. This is an important shift in geopolitical equations. It also gives China much greater leverage over Russia and on the latter’s capacity to pursue independent relations with other states such as India. China now has the capacity to limit Russian engagement with India, including in defence. This must now enter our own foreign policy and security calculations.

Russia is clearly the junior partner in the Sino-Russian strategic partnership, by compulsion if not by choice. China has been able to structure a significantly advantageous economic and energy partnership with Russia. During the past year, China’s import of Russian oil has gone up by 8 per cent but of natural gas by 50 per cent. A new pipeline is being planned from the Russian Arctic gas field of Yamal to China through Mongolia. This will be the second long-distance gas pipeline, “The Power of Siberia 2”, bringing gas supplies to China overland. The long-term effort of China has been to diversify its energy supplies away from the strategically vulnerable maritime route to the more secure landward supply routes from Russia and Central Asia. Chinese energy security is enhanced through a long-term energy partnership with Russia and this is also an important driver of the strategic partnership.

How will this unequal partnership affect the relative influence of Russia and China in what Russia describes as its “near neighbourhood” in Central Asia? China is convening a summit of Central Asian leaders from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan in May this year. It is increasingly projecting itself as a security guarantor for these countries. And these countries look upon Russia, particularly after its invasion of Ukraine, as their main security preoccupation. Chinese influence in Central Asia will expand and Russia will have to accept its own diminished role. This may marginalise even the limited presence India has in the region.

Is China likely to supply lethal weapons to Russia to shore up the latter’s firepower against Ukraine? Having announced an unprecedented close partnership with Russia, any defeat of Russia in the war would be a major setback to China. China cannot let Russia be defeated though it may acquiesce to a stalemate or a low intensity war. The Chinese may change its policy over supply of weapons to Russia in case the latter is facing imminent defeat. In the meantime, China is doing all it can to help Russia through the supply of dual use items and drones and strategic items such as semiconductors. Its relative restraint may also be influenced by US policies towards Taiwan. China has already complained that while the US is accusing China of supplying arms to Russia, it is engaged in supplying lethal weapons to Taiwan, which would be used against China. There is a link between the Ukraine and Taiwan issues.

In its latest foreign policy strategy document, Russia has described China and India as its two allies. In the case of India, this may be more a case of wishful thinking.

The writer is a former Foreign Secretary and Honorary Fellow at Centre for Policy Research

Currently, there is a great game between 1) the US, 2) China, 3) India and 4) Russia in that order.1 wants to stay on top. 2 doesn't like 1, 3 and 4. 4 likes 3 and is afraid of 2 and 1. Shyam Saran's article does not explore all the paths.
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

What a week-kneed analysis, coming no doubt from the attitude of mentally kneeling before world powers for decades. We must be grateful that such worthies, utterly lacking in confidence and always looking for scraps under the table instead of elbowing our way to a seat at the high table, are retired. Young India sees opportunities where these oldy-moldys only see risks.
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by chetak »

Cyrano wrote:What a week-kneed analysis, coming no doubt from the attitude of mentally kneeling before world powers for decades. We must be grateful that such worthies, utterly lacking in confidence and always looking for scraps under the table instead of elbowing our way to a seat at the high table, are retired. Young India sees opportunities where these oldy-moldys only see risks.
Cyrano ji,

guy is a known mafia family doormat.

has to sing for his supper and dessert
Cyrano
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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Cyrano »

There is a lot about India's foreign policy over the last 9 years, don't get misled by the title.

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Re: Indian Foreign Policy

Post by Dilbu »

India gifts warship Kirpan to Vietnam
India will gift an indigenously built in-service warship, a missile corvette INS Kirpan, to the Vietnamese Navy. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the decision after he held talks with his counterpart from Vietnam General Phan Van Giang on Monday. Both ministers identified means to enhance existing areas of collaboration, especially in the field of defence industry cooperation, maritime security and multinational cooperation. The Vietnamese minister also visited the DRDO and discussed ways to enhance defence industrial capabilities by cooperation in defence research and joint production.
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