India's Foreign Policy - My Views

I have always been interested in how a country comes up with its foreign policy. More so with how India’s foreign policy is formulated because I am citizen of this country.

But the current trends of  India’s foreign policy, I must say does not look as if it was being formulated by people in touch with the present day reality.

Here’s what I think that India should do about its foreign policy.


Russia:
Consider the relationship between India and Russia. We have a bilateral trade of just $8 billion and that too with a country that has stood with us in thick and thin of our history. The rules on travel and trade between the countries read more like restrictions than guidelines.

How many people know that the BrahMos missile system that we Indians feel so proudly about is actually based on an existing Russian missile system called the Oniks? (The propulsion system is based on the Oniks.)

Though agreed that we have had disagreements on the price for the Aircraft Carrier, considering the past history, this should be treated as a one off event.

Russia has and is building some many civil nuclear plants in India for India and yet the GOI doesn’t take more steps to have closer ties Russia. Also, take into fact that Central Asia and Siberia have huge energy deposits and given India’s growing energy needs one would think India would make all the efforts to get closer to Russia.


China:
China is the fastest growing economy in the world. It will soon become a world power, if it already isn’t so. Given that China has never commented about other countries and that it has recently started to do so shows China’s growing self confidence.

China has also started modernizing its army, something that India can learn from.

Yet, the view is of India and China as enemies. In ancient times, these were two cultures that were mpost friendly to each other, why it cannot be so today is something that we must think about.

Sure, there are outlaying issues like the border issues, but the Russia-China have solved their border dispute and a much longer border at that shows that, is political will is applied the border issue can be amicably solved mutually.

Imagine if China and India were to work together in every field as they beautifully did in Copenhagen, the developing world will greatly benefit and institutions like IMF and World Bank can be easily reformed so that it benefits the poorer countries.

Though we are a part of the BRIC, the forum does not have much influence on the global scale. Also, we need China’s help to get into ASEAN which is more powerful than the SAARC.

China has substantial presence in Africa, India being a growing country needs to explore new channels for investment and what other continent than Africa has the highest potential for growth. China could defiantly help India in securing investments in Africa.


Iran:
I take the example of Iran to show how not to conduct a foreign policy.

India and Iran were in negotiations for building a pipeline that would deliver natural gas from Iran to India. The deal was nearing completion and any other country would not have taken an antagonistic step towards the other, especially the one providing the natural gas.

Not so, in India’s case. India voted against Iran in a crucial IAEA meeting; not that India’s vote tipped the case against Iran but still why did India vote against Iran especially at such a crucial juncture? No one knows the answer. And Iran simply like any sensible country simply stepped away from the deal.

So, we lost a crucial source of energy supply that to at a time when our energy needs is growing by leaps and bounds.


Turkey:
Turkey is one of the most modern countries in the middle-east. It is a country that has a blend of both Arabic and European cultures. It’s also a country that has a large degree of influence in the middle-east.

Did you know that the Turkish Army is the guardian of secularism and democracy in that country? That it was the army that secured the country against fundamentalism that was rampant in the country in the 1970’s.

India must develop better relationships with Turkey; for one thing we can learn how to seamlessly blend seemingly opposing views. Also, India was ill-afford to lose friendship with what could be a major power from the middle-east.


Africa:
The one continent that has the potential for the most rapid growth in all sectors in the globe is Africa. And yet, as pointed out in a recent editorial in Hindu, India does not have any kind of foreign policy document on Africa.

Sure, the continent is facing various kinds of problems that range from natural to man-made, but the potential is there. Just consider the geographic of the continent; it has rich store of energy- a large number of river systems, source of metals, the large market potential for every products.  

Any country that can make investments in Africa now is bound to make huge dividends later. That is precisely what China is doing.

India, which has pretentions of being a super-power, should invest money, material in Africa. The short-term returns maybe negligible but the long-term returns are bound to be huge.


Myanmar:
Now, here is an example of a country that is ruled by a military junta that has kept one of the most fearless voices of democracy jailed for more than 15 years now.

For a country that boasts about being the world’s largest democracy, how can one explain India’s policy towards Myanmar?

India has not once issued a statement that criticizes the conduct of the military junta, nor has it taken any steps in helping get Aung San Suu Kyi released.

India in fact has cordial relations with the country in which democracy is blatantly violated. India has voted against UN bills condemning the violence unleashed by the military junta.


South & Central America:
These are another two continents which are growing at a fast pace and are bound to grow faster in the next few decades. The market potential, the amount of available natural resources all point to an investment destination that is bound to make huge profits for the people investing in these regions.

Take the case of Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico – though all these countries face problems of rampant crime, the potential for growth far outweighs any of the risks of investments in these countries.


Israel:
India does not have good relationship with Israel; I think that India should develop much better relationsip with Israel. The point being that I am not condoning Israel’s sometime over the board actions. But, India can learn a lot about counter-terrorism from Israel.

Israel’s security forces including its police are after all doing a hell of a job keeping Israel safe. Our security forces could do well from closer interactions that are not just limited to the defense industry as at present.


 Of course, I have more views on India's foreign relations but at present i shall limit myself to the above. You may or may not agree with what I have to say but don't deny that what I say does not make sense.