HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
Aadi and I had an extended discussion on India and its neighbours. The Q&A session was specially vibrant.
The Pakistani FM to BBC: War would be suicidal. Pakistan has already started negotiating with a gun to its head! Welcome home Wing Commander Abhinanadan. Well done. You flew into the Valley of Death and survived. India is proud. Sincere condolences to Air Marshal Waseem Ud Din on the loss of his son Shahaz Ud Din under most unfortunate circumstances. He was incredibly brave to continue his mission when others had turned around. Paradigm Emerged A lot has happened since Balakot. Some in focus some out. Some hyped. Some diffused. Time to sum up the situation and see where things are heading. Militarily it is called Review of the Situation. I will do it journalistically so that the intellectual western media understands it. They might or not buy our story. Incidentally it is not a story. It is not for sale. This is real live action. Nuclear exchange receding. Not ruled out. A fundamental paradigm has emerged. India’s fight is against terror. The D
Tortoise versus hare story in China-India context is a very old cliche.
ReplyDeleteMARCH 29, 2002 / Analysis: China's hare, India's tortoise
https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2002/03/29/Analysis-Chinas-hare-Indias-tortoise/72211017412181/
"There is that story about the hare and the tortoise," Lalit Mansingh, India's experienced and shrewd ambassador to the United States told a meeting at Washington's University Club this week. He may be right.
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China has been suffering from a long, slow, gradual but remorseless downturn that is now having very severe consequences. At least 100 million people are believed to have lost their jobs and not found new ones in recent years. Hardship and ensuing bitterness, especially in rural North China, is believed to be serious and growing.
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China's economic growth has utterly outstripped India over the past 20 years, but there is a climate of widespread fear and caution in Shanghai and other business centers while Indian investors in Mumbai, formerly Bombay, and elsewhere are increasingly bullish.
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These possibilities had clearly occurred to Mansingh when he drew the contrast between China as a rapid hare whose lightning fast progress is obvious to all, with India as a far slower tortoise, that can only crawl slowly. But as in the famous fable, the tortoise wins the race because it maintains its far slower rate of progress, or growth, continually while the hare is exhausted by its dramatic spurts and has to rest, or even collapse, for long periods of time.
For me, it was thoroughly educating, and my takes from the discussion were;
ReplyDelete1. The so-called Chinese string of pearls are turning out to be prickly thorns! And the key message which China must introspect is; helping countries to strengthen economically or via infrastructure pays back lasting dividends, instead of exploitative politicking! India is a classic example; be it ME or Afghanistan or any other nation, its foreign policy was never ever focussed upon meddling with internal issues. Wonder is there a country which China can really trust, including North Korea!?
2. China has fully exposed its underbelly, not only to the world, but to its own citizens, who have been systematically brainwashed and hypercharged with jingoism, resulting in a loss of face. Their frustration could be seen all across and there are many a "tweeple" from India who have been targeted by Chinese trolls, especially after Octogenarian's hard slap! Bottom-line; Solutions for Internal problems can never be found externally and China believes exactly doing the opposite, hence reaping what it sowed! It is high time it shed its medieval mindset of "territorial gluttony", and be happy/content with what it has!
3. Lessons for India; neither it should try nor acknowledge world's perception (if any) to be a successor of China. India still has a long way to go (securing, stabilizing & cementing the first 2 blocks of Maslow's hierarchy of needs) therefore, should remain focused on improving its current position by working upon its weaknesses, and make maximum out of the sweet spot it is sitting on.
4. Lastly; "Let the Cookie Crumble on its own, while we sit and enjoy our coffee!" This one-liner from Gen Ravishankar summed it up nicely!
Excellent & clearsighted appreciation on the Geo-political scenario ! All issues have been logically & perspiaciously analysed !!
DeleteIf India is not in any position to compete with China then it should try to mend ties with China. What China really wants is the Tawang tract where there is an important monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. Possession helps secure Tibet. If India transferred Tawang, it would be the basis of lasting peace.
DeleteIt will be better if China vacates Tibet and stops occupying it illegally. We can then improve India-China ties. An isolated and declining China should know that time is not on its side. Better to negotiate
DeleteExcellent & clearsighted appreciation on the Geo- political scenario ! All issues have been logically & perspicaciously analysed !!
ReplyDeleteMy previous comment was deleted. Deleting a non-disruptive comment of intellectual caliber is an act of cowardice. The General has been defeated. He had no intelligent response and retreated by way of censorship.
ReplyDelete