Maldives Civil-Military Issues

[Parasu]

The problem is Indian made.
Both short term and long term.
Long term we should change demography of jihad pasand regions. Kashmir, Maldives etc. N this should be an unchanging, uncompromising goal.
Short term, we should have stamped out Waheed the first time he stepped out of line. Now he has built a nice base for himself in Maldives catering to the jihadis and the cheenis.

[UlanBatori]

So many nice buildings. So few strategic bombers....

[Ashokk]

India concerned but Maldives opposition wants more, says Yameen acting under China influence

[vinod]

Maldives SC revokes order of freeing politicians.

[Singha]

Basically, it is time to:

1) Back up our claim of being "net security provider" in the IOR. Otherwise we will not be taken seriously by anyone.

2) Show that "net security provision" is

Good point dubey sir. Usa protects eu and japan and soko but has huge bases all over and expects full diplomatic support

[schinnas]

India has a souverign duty to protect it's citizens and embassy in the region. Military intervention for peace with a well orchestrated psywar or media war is need of the hour.

[Philip]

With the CJ arrested and all top Oppn. leaders behind bars, the dictator and his thugs- read army can get any decision they want from their puppets in charge.The more we dither and delay , the more time we will give to the Chins and Pakis to plan their support strategy for Yam.

By the way it was "Weepy Singh" who shamelessly withdrew the IPKF from SL and not RG.He also removed some of RG's security facilitating his easy assassination.The IPKF had cornered the LTTE, held elections in the NEast and had a pro-India Tamil elected as CM.

The more we dither the easier it will be for Yam and co. to eliminate any dissent in the country using the gun and jackboot.This thuggery is courtesy of the backing from China and Pak.The world is watching to see whether we roar like a lion or tiger or squeak like a mouse.

[Anant]

Philip,

I agree with you but please see this:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... d-5054225/

[Philip]

I read it.While we debate the issue we lose the initiative and allow the tyrant to regroup and get allies to his side.
Ind.Exp. advice of the kind mentioned will never win a spat. I said over a year ago that the Maldivian situ would deteriorate and that we should plan for swift Intervention.
Letting out in the media that we are ready to intervene is only talk.It also gives the despot extra time to plan his political survival with the aid of his two pals.
The time is long past when we should've acted.

[chetak]

Basically, it is time to:

1) Back up our claim of being "net security provider" in the IOR. Otherwise we will not be taken seriously by anyone.

2) Show that "net security provision" is

Good point dubey sir. Usa protects eu and japan and soko but has huge bases all over and expects full diplomatic support

Aren't they all treaty countries whom the US of A is obligated to protect??

What obligations do we have with the maldives who have made it clear as to whose bed they wished to lie in??

Did the lankans consult us when they eloped with the chinese bridegroom??

Let them rot. These maldives bases are well within Indian land based striking range. If offensive han weapons are moved into the region, then we can take a call.

These are all countries with an inherent and deeply ingrained wish to harm India for perceived slights and offenses allegedly committed by India in the days gone by.

we have neither the capacity nor the muscle and the will to stay in the maldives as long term players.

They are simply trying to sucker us in.

we will have to vacate fairly quickly, just like we did in beediland, without gaining anything at all. We will not get any concessions here, under any circumstances.

Just yesterday, our national mindset was that of a land based power and now, suddenly, under the motivated prodding of the amrekis, we have, out of the blue, become a maritime power and that too a net security provider in the region??

with what?? we have substantially less than 2% of GDP allocated to defence spending, no??

and a govt that is obviously hostile and indifferent towards it's own Armed Forces??

And finally, national elections are looming and many political parties, as well as many hostile foreign govts, do not want Modi back in power.

So a small mis step in the maldives will be amplified by the national as well as the international press, dooming Modi and his Govt's chances of coming back again.

[abhijitm]

Philip,

I agree with you but please see this:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... d-5054225/

This would be the stupidest move. Sanctions never ever work. It will only make maldives to go and sit comfortably on china's lap. Will definitely lose them. Do we want to create a north korea in our own backyard? sanctions on a strategic neighbor with friendly population!! is Gov out of their freaking mind? This fk up has no limit.

[Deans]

We need a chamcha just like US has UK and Australia. Wherever we send our forces, they would also send a token force to make it an International Peace Force.

Nepal is a good candidate. IA is comfortable working with Gorkha soldiers. We can call it a SAARC force,which will get international approval.
Sri Lanka is another candidate. They have a large army (for their population) which is fairly jobless after the civil war ended and their officers
have a fair bit of exposure to ours.

[Philip]

We have for too long been been a hesitant power..since RG was assassinated .The issue in the Maldives is very clear.A despot has thrown the rule of law and democracy to the wind, is giving off part of his territory to our mortal enemy several islands, and we sit and twiddle our thumbs while the entire opposition and SC CJ are imprisoned.By the time the mice in the MEA decide that there is cheese in the kitchen that can be eaten while no cat is around, we might find rival bandicoots ensconced in Male with the despot who has summoned them to his side.

The world's largest democracy is being given the upturned finger by a tinpot sprat of a dictator and true to form we procrastinate ad nauseum while the path is being cleared for the next Chinese takeaway in the IOR.

PS: SAARC is a dead duck.There is no security mandate for SAARC either. It needs to bd given an indecent burial.
To show the world that we uphold and preserve democracy and the rule of law we need to clean up the Maldives, hold democratic free and fair elections and enter into a defence pact with them preventing any external power from acquiring territory or mil. facilities there.

First minimum step.Send a few warships to Male.Establish a de- facto naval blockade of the islands only to prevent foreign mil. Forces and the despot and co. to escape.A few overflights of the IAF/ IN's 29Ks, all flights into and out of Male banned and squeeze the tyrants ghoolies with a deadline to step down.If the Chin backed head of their forces Shami does try a stunt, then we go in and crush the despot's team.No one ever made an omelette without first breaking an egg.A good time to put the VikA through its paces.

[Mukesh.Kumar]

We need a chamcha just like US has UK and Australia. Wherever we send our forces, they would also send a token force to make it an International Peace Force.

Nepal is a good candidate. IA is comfortable working with Gorkha soldiers. We can call it a SAARC force,which will get international approval.
Sri Lanka is another candidate. They have a large army (for their population) which is fairly jobless after the civil war ended and their officers
have a fair bit of exposure to ours.

Great idea. Two questions:

1. Who will foot the bill for the operation? Unlikely to see the UN stepping in. SAARC will get bogged down in bureaucracy. If India does it negates SAARC thappa, though underlines India's stature
2. What is in it for SL and Nep to participate? There is no SAARC mandate for security. Put yourself in the shoes of these countries, why would they want to get involved?

Think in the end we have to go it alone. At least for now.

Edited later: Phillip saar has beaten me to the draw I see.

[Philip]

We footed all bills for the IPKF and Op Cactus earlier? If we start wanting financial assistance to save democracy in our own backyard,we'll be the laughing stock of the globe! In '71,who footed the bill for 10M Bdeshis? And tell me,how much do you think trowing out the Chins and Pakis will be AFTER they've constructed and occupied their mil bases in strength and installed air defences,etc.,etc. will be? Will they strike at us elsewhere in case we intervene then? The cost of trying to fix the problem after the wolves have entered the farmyard will be horrendous in comparison to the costs of intervening right now when we have only the despot and his tiny uniformed tribe to deal with.

Here's the viewpoint from the principal UK thinktank,which endorses an Indian intervention .
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 97196.html

Maldivves crisis: Will India answer call to intervene in island nation's state of emergency?
Analysis: President Abdulla Yameen seems intent to stay in power through suppression and ignoring the country’s constitution. If the rule of law is to be upheld, who would uphold it?

Gareth Price
Former Maldives president arrested as political crisis escalates

Tarantino once defended Polanski for sexually abusing 13-year-old
Following his election in 2014, India’s incoming prime minister, Narendra Modi, invited leaders of the countries of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to his inauguration. It sent a powerful signal that India accepted that it needed to engage with and play a positive role in its immediate neighbourhood if it was to be accepted as a significant global actor.

The timing was fortuitous – civil wars in Sri Lanka and Nepal had finished and the government in Bangladesh was amenable to engagement with India. Soon after, tension with Pakistan led to SAARC being sidelined, but India has pushed ahead in attempting to enhance its relationship with countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar, along with various multilateral initiatives.

Yet each of its neighbours has sought to balance their relationship with India by engaging with China, an increasingly assertive actor in the Indian Ocean region. Some countries have gone further than others in playing “the China card”. One of those countries would be the Maldives,

In 2015, the Maldives passed an unusual constitutional amendment. The change allowed foreign ownership of territory in the Maldives territory. Specifically, the constitutional amendment allows foreigners who invest over $1bn to own land, provided that at least 70 per cent of land purchased is reclaimed from the sea. This limits the number of potential buyers. Both Saudi Arabia and China have expressed some interest. Both countries seem keen to develop infrastructure in the Maldives as a means of protecting oil shipments from the former to the latter.

Despite (or perhaps because) only around 400,000 people live there, the Maldives has an unusual recent political history. Briefly, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was president from 1978 until 2008, his support peaking in 1983 at 95.6 per cent. He was widely accused of human rights abuses and corruption.

He lost the 2008 election to human rights activist, Mohamed Nasheed (the subsequent flourishing of freedoms contributed to the spread of radical Islam. Per capita - by some measures - the Maldives has provided most recruits to the Islamic State). Nasheed was ousted in 2012. He won most votes in the first round of an election the following year, but the Supreme Court annulled the vote and Abdulla Yameen, half brother of Gayoom, became president. Nasheed was subsequently convicted of terrorism for arresting a judge. After travelling to the UK for medical treatment, he sought and received asylum.

This is when things became interesting. In 2015, following an apparent assassination attempt against Yameen, the vice president along with 17 of his supporters were arrested. Yameen has actively courted investment from both China and Saudi Arabia. Tacit support from these two countries appears to have encouraged Yameen to further centralise power and sideline any opposition. Sino-Maldivian relations were further strengthened a couple of weeks ago when the Maldives became the second country in Asia to sign a free trade agreement with China (after Pakistan), a move widely seen as cocking a snook towards India.

In Mach last year, Gayoom and Nasheed decided to team up against Yameen. They also called on India to intervene. And while it may be an unusual coalition, it would almost certainly win a free and fair election. It would also have a majority in parliament if various ousted MPs were reinstated.

And last week the Maldives Supreme Court ruled that that is exactly what should happen. It also ordered that political prisoners be released. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Yameen ignored the call. Instead, yesterday, he introduced a state of emergency, ordered troops to blockade the Supreme Court building and arrested Gayoom.

What happens next will play into broader issues of governance across the Indian Ocean region. If Yameen remains in power – self-evidently through suppression and by ignoring the country’s constitution – other rulers inclined towards the autocratic end of the spectrum may feel that they can secure their tenure by throwing their lot in with China (though in turn, China may be learning that throwing its lot in with rulers with little legitimacy may not be a sustainable strategy in the long-term).

But if the rule of law is to be upheld, who would uphold it? The obvious answer would be India. While this would go against India’s long-standing claim not to interfere in other states’ affairs, the Maldives presents as benign a location for intervention as is imaginable. The main opposition (which would hold a majority in parliament) is actually calling on India to act, sending an envoy, backed by its military. If India does seek a role in its neighbourhood (in which it does, sporadically, intervene) and to uphold a rules-based order in the Indian Ocean, this would appear to be an ideal opportunity for it to do so.

Gareth Price is a senior research fellow at Chatham House working on South Asia

[hnair]

This is not strictly a Doklam scenario, where a govt (Bhutan) that has zero diplomatic connections to outside world, asked for Indian intervention. Nor is it Operation Cactus, which was defeating a genuine coup, wherein a nation's government requested a capable neighbour for help. In this case, the national govt did not ask for help and without an UN mandate, it is very difficult to go in, without the national govt's invite. It will need a bit more stewing, before the 91st start mustering.

A little segue onto islands and violence: I dont know if anyone remembers how when a racist thug called Col Rabuka overthrew a duly elected govt over in faraway Fiji? At some point a ship carrying small-arms was "caught" and the allegation was it was India trying to support the diaspora and turn the peaceful democratic protesters into freedom fighters. Obvious paw print in this "catching" business are the Doucheland of Oz. As a white nation, they did not want violence in their backyard, where both sides have no interest in hurting them nor furthering their interests. My personal POV is that, future arms shipment threat was not light and hence sort of helped Fijian POI individuals at a personal level, since it opened up a better immigration path for Fiji Indians to those white paradises of the west. Similar to the Nigerian situation under Idi Amin, but less obvious since Rabuka is western-pasand.

Here is a report on the whole incident. The Fijian Chief was taken in, because of his showing spine against the uniformed thugs of Rabuka. Trumped up charge, as the recent Magistrate concluded. But it shows the challenges of mounting interesting things in far flung places with minimal commerce.

So lighting fire in island nations need a bit of co-ordination with the paradise-owners of the west, local friends as well as less obvious reasons like how that oversized airport (for an archipelago) is packed to the gills with Boeing 777s from lots nations. The first target for any ops is that bustling airport, with 1000s of civvies from various countries. And this is still peak season (till Feb-end). It is like winter-time in the Himalayas and reduces options a bit

For those wanting aerial bombings etc, this going to be a very disappointing episode. There is nothing much of value to bombard, other than resorts owned or operated by Indians

(Singha, any links on the GCC troublemakers?)

[hnair]

yes, we need to start working on a blueprint for a coalition of the willing. As also a 10-fleet of amphibious assault ships (that can double up as disaster relief) and not waste money on CATOBAR/INS Vishal. Another affordable Vikrant class can provide the air support

[Bart S]

Philip,

I agree with you but please see this:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... d-5054225/

Sorry, but this would be worse than doing nothing. All it will do is wash away any remaining leverage we have and hand it on a platter to China. The fact that the mere possibility of Indian action has made Global Times etc get their panties in a bunch, shows how critical it is for GOI to act and act now.


Really shocked by this govt's inaction on this issue. Never thought that I would see the day when the Modi govt fulfilled the wish of the likes of MK Bhadrakumar:
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/india ... 180207.htm

[Deans]

Great idea. Two questions:

1. Who will foot the bill for the operation? Unlikely to see the UN stepping in. SAARC will get bogged down in bureaucracy. If India does it negates SAARC thappa, though underlines India's stature
2. What is in it for SL and Nep to participate? There is no SAARC mandate for security. Put yourself in the shoes of these countries, why would they want to get involved?

Think in the end we have to go it alone. At least for now.

Edited later: Phillip saar has beaten me to the draw I see.

I too believe we have to do it alone. While my response to the `chamcha country' option was hypothetical, It is doable. It requires deft diplomacy.
Maldives opposition will have to say that this unrest threatens SAARC and SAARC nationals and invite affected countries to intervene. Both India and Sri Lanka have a large number of their nationals in the Maldives and would be justified in sending troops to ensure their security - besides being more culturally familiar with the place (than a UN force). The cost isn't all that much. India incurs a fixed transport and logistics cost for X soldiers, part of that X can be made up of soldiers from other countries. Sri Lankan army would incur the same pay for their soldiers sitting in their barracks in Lanka.
Getting Nepal to participate (even a single company attached to a IA Gurkha battalion) would be a masterstroke, as it sends a strong signal to China. Its something our COAS, being from 11 GR, may be able to work out with his Nepali counterpart, rather than letting our diplomats do it.

[Deans]

As a starting point for military intervention, issue a travel advisory. Then go to the UN and introduce a resolution calling for immediate elections (in 15 days) with an International peacekeeping force to ensure security and International observers. Let China object and veto, they will be exposed. We will still have a decent majority in the security council an therefore the moral authority to intervene.
Once the travel advisory is issued, the `tourists' visiting Maldives on our flights, can be some of our SF ,who can do advance recce and can be easily be armed later.

[Manish_P]

These are all countries with an inherent and deeply ingrained wish to harm India for perceived slights and offenses allegedly committed by India in the days gone by.

we have neither the capacity nor the muscle and the will to stay in the maldives as long term players.

They are simply trying to sucker us in.

we will have to vacate fairly quickly, just like we did in beediland, without gaining anything at all. We will not get any concessions here, under any circumstances.

+1

They all seem to learn from one another (perfected by the Grandmaster Pakis) how to gain by putting a gun at their own heads and playing one power against the other.

What is the stand of the supa powah on this? Diego Gracia is a bit nearer. Will the world's greatest democracy support and aid the world's biggest democracy (it's strategic partner) in protecting freedom in one of the world's tiniest democracies ?

[pushkar.bhat]

I am sure our boys are tactically practicing all options of landing into Male. I wish they do a couple of days practice of a landing approach with a hard deck of say 2000 Feet into the airport. Will help setup a sense of urgency into the government and also get the message across.

[Chandragupta]

Its funny to read all these comments -

a. who will foot the bill? Like a true Hindu baniya! A 3 trillion dollar wannabe superpower cannot send boots to a territory smaller than koramangala 4th block without people asking - paisa kaun dega re?
b. we don't have the muscle to stay there! - You do realise that you're talking about the largest and one of the most deadly armies in the world, right?

I am not holding my breath for India to intervene. I would be pleasantly surprised if we did, but I have enough trust in Modi ji. Why will he intervene in Maldives when there is a speech to be given in somewhere, hain ji?

[Mukesh.Kumar]

Its funny to read all these comments -

a. who will foot the bill? Like a true Hindu baniya! A 3 trillion dollar wannabe superpower cannot send boots to a territory smaller than koramangala 4th block without people asking - paisa kaun dega re?
b. we don't have the muscle to stay there! - You do realise that you're talking about the largest and one of the most deadly armies in the world, right?

I am not holding my breath for India to intervene. I would be pleasantly surprised if we did, but I have enough trust in Modi ji. Why will he intervene in Maldives when there is a speech to be given in somewhere, hain ji?

Chandraguptaji, I hope you are not reacting from the gut just by reading the first line. The 'foot the bill' is not about the money, but the fact that if we go our usual way, we will never get this done. Ultimately, its our own interest and we would do well eschew thoughts of getting other people to chip in.
We are on the same page here, just hope that in theheat of the moment we don't work ourselves into a blue-on-blue.

P.S. Apologies in advance but the previous comment did seem a little distracting

[Singha]

When asked to comment on Nasheeds call to India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "The international community should play a constructive role on the basis of respecting the Maldives sovereignty instead of taking measures that could complicate the current situation."

[Singha]

So dragon has already got its boot into the door

[Singha]

Meantime pm is busy blaming congis for partition and rg for some insult to andhra pm nearly 40 years ago

[abhijitm]

Meantime pm is busy blaming congis for partition and rg for some insult to andhra pm nearly 40 years ago

all stories of military readiness have disappeared and only story left in indian express about sanctions. Swift disappearance of military readiness stories coincide with china warning against military intervention.

[Chandragupta]

Its funny to read all these comments -

a. who will foot the bill? Like a true Hindu baniya! A 3 trillion dollar wannabe superpower cannot send boots to a territory smaller than koramangala 4th block without people asking - paisa kaun dega re?
b. we don't have the muscle to stay there! - You do realise that you're talking about the largest and one of the most deadly armies in the world, right?

I am not holding my breath for India to intervene. I would be pleasantly surprised if we did, but I have enough trust in Modi ji. Why will he intervene in Maldives when there is a speech to be given in somewhere, hain ji?

Chandraguptaji, I hope you are not reacting from the gut just by reading the first line. The 'foot the bill' is not about the money, but the fact that if we go our usual way, we will never get this done. Ultimately, its our own interest and we would do well eschew thoughts of getting other people to chip in.
We are on the same page here, just hope that in theheat of the moment we don't work ourselves into a blue-on-blue.

P.S. Apologies in advance but the previous comment did seem a little distracting

Mukesh ji, no blue on blue here! My post was tongue in cheek, meant no offence.

[rsingh]

Meantime pm is busy blaming congis for partition and rg for some insult to andhra pm nearly 40 years ago

all stories of military readiness have disappeared and only story left in indian express about sanctions. Swift disappearance of military readiness stories coincide with china warning against military intervention.

I am sure there is something else to it. NSA is not dumb.Even Chinese are provoking us to act. 3 trillion wannabe super power will act when needed.

[Singha]

we are preparing a thick protest dossier for when cheen establishes its base on some reef there.

[Manish_P]

Here's the viewpoint from the principal UK thinktank,which endorses an Indian intervention .
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 97196.html

You are referring to the same britshits who are busy sucking up to China on almost everything else.. If they feel so strongly about it then why aren't they asking their bigger cousins (Diego Garcia is about the same distance) to send their forces instead.. Malvinas of the west == Maldives of the east.

Endorsement you say, why don't they have the balls to bring this up in the UN security council formally? Scared of the Dragon, are they?

India didn't wait for the UN to intervene in 1988. It will do things it considers right, this time as well.

[Philip]

The Little Britsh*ts are happily squatting in DG ( obtained by blackmailing Sir Seewoosagar Ramgoolam as the price for independence) leased to the Yanquis despite intl. criticism, UN whoever.They care a sh*t about public opinion.

India a budding nuclear mega power which has ambitions of defending ASEAN is lettng its own backyard slip away to the Chinx by a miniscule tinpot despotic dictator whom the world cares little about. When a ruler defies hia own Supreme Court ,imprisons the CJ and the opposition,it is the last straw in the eyes of the civilised world. As the largest democracy on the planet we have apart from the huge legitimate security aspect a moral duty to restore democracy there.At least the threat of imminent full scale military action must be read out to Yameen with a short deadline to release the arrested opposition leaders and judgrs, etc.with our warships standing offshore ready to go into action in minutes after recg. a negative reply from him.

China will be laughing at this paper tiger which grandly is part of an anti- Chinese maritime quadilateral.As the good minister just said in the Lok Sabha ,referring to Pak's latest perfidy, "we will give a befitting reply" , couched in the finest diplomatic verbiage, beautifully tied with the best quality silk red tape from South Block! Yameen at this rate has little to worry about.

[abhijitm]

It is exact same way we lost Nepal to china. It is time for Maldives to follow the suit while we twiddle thumbs.

[Philip]

On a serious note let's look at the stakeholders in the Maldivian region.Island resorts owned/leased by Maldy- firang hotel cos.Largest hotel operators used to be John Keells of SL. We too have The Oberois, Taj and Chennai Residency operating hotels thete- all must have a local partner and presumably several firang chains.I was reliably informed that many top Maldivian politicos own these island resorts. The corrupt jokers like Yameen have also made offshore investments in certain countries.

The alleged selling off of islands to Chin have been declared illegal by the oppn.as it is Maldivian territory alienated from the country like the Czar selling Alaska to the US except that Yameen isn't the Czar and his country is a republic, no can do.

Therefore, the Indian interests require protection apart from the 30K or so Indians working in the country.When the GOM cancelled the GMR airport deal and handed most of their work to the Chins, we should've put our foot down.When the elected leader of the country was ousted we did bugger all.Our weak submission to this tadpole
allowing him to get away with huge human rights abuses as well has only emboldened him to act as such.Well done India!

PS: When China started still grabbing in Mischief Reef and other islands in the Spratlys in the ICS , totally distegadding UNCLOS what did the powerful US do? F- all! One can understand if smaller nations were afeardd of the Dragon.It showed up the lack of ghoolies of the then US administration which can only rant and rave at mostly non- nuclear powers.Here in our very own backyard where we have had a precedent of a previous intervention- to save the very same Gayoom again imprisoned decades later, who has pleaded yet again for our help, we have suddenly developed the coldest of feet.

" Fortune favours the bold " it is said.The bard also wrote thus: " There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to fortune. Omitted all their lives are bound in the shallows and miseries..."

[Neshant]

I would not be surprised if US or UK launched a military response since India is impotent.

[nvishal]

Some Indians actually believe that an Islamic nation can be India's ally. Maldives is a hotbed of morons with ambitions of gazwa

The only advantage of having Maldives is if we had a base there. The island itself has no economic value. The threat is that a foreign power can use it as a base. Thay is nothing different than what srilanka is now. Both will endure a rain of indian missiles and a swift invasion by the forces if they ever side with the Chinese explicitly but this geostrategic reality is what stops both of them.

The Chinese are not a culture who will fight a conventional war. Their objective of conflict is to demotivate the opponent into thinking that they cannot win.

The only real ally China has is Pakistan. All others are using China for investments. Djibouti cannot be called a base.

[Singha]

by that account nothing is a threat until the missiles start to fly.
chinese occupation of SCS is not a threat.
chinese base in gwader is not threat
chinese base in myanmar also will not be threat
a floating cheen base off mumbai harbour will not be a threat , because they can only float in peacetime but not survive in wartime!!

power is shaped by what happens in 99.9999% peace

either step up and take charge or go home. dont talk big but not deliver anything, be resigned as a bit player and vassal of the great powers

even a budding global pawa like US in 1900 sent a "great white fleet" steaming around the world. not to sell carrots but to show the flag. at relatively a huge power differential with the UK and germany of the time. and here we are afraid of dipping our toes in the pond lol

[chetak]

It is exact same way we lost Nepal to china. It is time for Maldives to follow the suit while we twiddle thumbs.

There is hatred in nepal for India just like in the maldives.

This has been going on for decades.

We have foolishly romanticized the nepal engagement with folksy gurkha soldiers and the tales of their valor, completely overlooking the ground realities. The mahadeshis are of Indian origin and they sought political power in nepal going against the grain, as it were, and the nepalis would not accept such a premise.

We have that status in nepal that the ugly american has the world over and that is why we lost out.

why repeat a failing experience in the maldives.

India would not win any elections for popularity in lanka, beediland, nepal, myanmar, where the populace all have the same feeling.

Our stupid MEA has had a very arrogant big brotherly attitude of barely disguised contempt for these people. The dolts in the MEA have run roughshod over the neighborhood for far too long for us to be able to rectify the situation quickly.

[chetak]

by that account nothing is a threat until the missiles start to fly.
chinese occupation of SCS is not a threat.
chinese base in gwader is not threat
chinese base in myanmar also will not be threat
a floating cheen base off mumbai harbour will not be a threat , because they can only float in peacetime but not survive in wartime!!

power is shaped by what happens in 99.9999% peace

either step up and take charge or go home. dont talk big but not deliver anything, be resigned as a bit player and vassal of the great powers

even a budding global pawa like US in 1900 sent a "great white fleet" steaming around the world. not to sell carrots but to show the flag. at relatively a huge power differential with the UK and germany of the time. and here we are afraid of dipping our toes in the pond lol

[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... vg.png[img]

The chinese hegemony in the SCS is a direct threat to India because a major portion of our exports as a percentage of the GDP flows through that specific route.

We are rightly engaging with the rim countries and asserting ourselves there. It makes eminent sense to do just that.

To contain India, the hans have encircled us and as everyone has seen, we did not do jackshit about it because our "neighbors" colluded with the enemy. This is already a fait accompli and no one is asking our good "neighbors" why they did what they did, even though these acts are hostile to us and our interests and yet we smile, have shitty "people to people" contacts with these very backstabbers. I haven't heard even one of our good "neighbors" talk of the han economic terrorism that has landed all of them, including nepal in deep schitt.

WTF would the beedis need fighter aircraft?? and submarines?? against whom?? and yet they demand concession after concession from India and that too, after having fully sold out to china. Are we blind, deaf, dumb and stupid as well?? is another paki being built up in the region to do the dirty work of the hans??

We cannot jeopardize our chance of getting Modi back for another term just to prop up some expendable quranic yahoos who managed to cover themselves in their own schitt again, and are, as usual, screaming for India to wash it off.

We are neither a great power (yet) nor are we vassals of anyone, least of all the amrekis.
With our meager defence spending, we will, more than likely never become a great power and the chances of us becoming someone's vassal is increasing by the day.

If Modi goes, we will become OBORed and CPECed and also de FCRAed, the very next day.

Why else would the chinese ambassador be taking so much of interest in low IQ crackheads?? As indeed the UK and the european countries are also doing??

We need to be watchful and consolidate our national strength for our purposes and not waste our treasure and time on some shitty mullah ridden godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere.