Gunners Shot

Published at The Print @   ‘Stable but unpredictable’ border with China is a real risk. India needs a new game plan Chief of Army Staff Manoj Pande has triggered an important thought that demands national attention. India must act like the third pole it aspires to be and avoid conflict. LT GEN P R SHANKAR RETD     24 November, 2022 11:03 am IST C hief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande recently said that the situation in Eastern Ladakh is “ stable but unpredictable .” As the border standoff with China lingers on, there has been no significant reduction in the People’s Liberation Army’s force levels along the Line of Actual Control. He also stated that there is a need to carefully calibrate “our actions on the LAC to be able to safeguard our interests and sensitivities.” The matrix The Army chief’s statement has great depth and needs analysis. It is reassuring that the situation is stable. The unpredictable part is worrisom...

Aadi and I had an unstructured discussion on narratives. It was largely spontaneous and fun.   

  It has been almost a month since the 20 Th   Party Congress concluded. It was followed up the G20 meet which seemed more like a coming out party for Xi Jinping. However there is a subtle difference. The China we knew before the 20 th   Party Congress is not the one after that. The leadership has changed and so will China….that is already evident in the headlines in the South China Morning Post….these are just a few I have put together in a span of 3-5 days only.      Poser : - Do you think China can come out of the corner it is in ? Do you think than common prosperity could turn into common poverty?  Already there are assessments that the date by which the Chinese economy will overhaul the US economy is going further away…well. well, well! These days when  I  read about China  I  am reminded of Dharmendra's dialogue - Is me  toh comedy hai, tragedy hai, romance hai aur fight hai...these days China men Virus hai...

Aadi and I discussed our neighbourhood after a long time. Our neighbourhood is volatile and we need to be alive to it as also respond accordingly. Interesting talk with interesting questions.   

Published in The Sunday Guardian as Destabilising the Northeast on Chinese Radar Lt Gen PR Shankar Retd Updated   :    November 19, 2022,    9:07 PM  The tribes, ethnicities and their issues in the Northeast are such that it takes very little imagination and some funding to stoke a social issue into an instability in a democracy like India. China has embarked on a methodical and well laid out plan to “Rejuvenate the Chinese Dream”, to achieve its overall aim of becoming a superpower. It aims to strengthen its comprehensive national power in all domains—economic, military, technological and diplomatic to replace the United States as the prime global power. China will attempt it in multiple ways, if the proceedings of the 20Th Party Congress are any indication. China also sees India as a major competitor, which needs to be put in place to achieve its regional and global ambitions and domination. As an extension of this thought process, Northeast India offers ...

Aadi and I had a very long discussion on firepower in Ukraine and the lessons we could learn from it. The QnA session was as usual the best part.   

Published in The Print @ The US-led global order is tottering. It is India’s time to shine as a balancing ‘third pole’ As India has grown stronger, the term ‘non-aligned’ has morphed into ‘neutral’. There is also no doubt today that whoever India backs will ultimately be the heavier side. LT GEN P R SHANKAR RETD 14 November, 2022 09:35 am IST PM Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden during their bilateral meeting in Washington on 24 September 2021| Twitter /@narendramodi The year 2022 has been eventful so far. Covid-19 endured. The 6 January attack on Capitol Hill undermined democracy and shook the foundations of the US-led global order. It was followed up by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Energy and food prices spiralled while inflation spiked and debilitated Russia’s role in global affairs. The recent meltdown of the British economy exposed the ruins of the once-powerful empire. The alacrity with which the Germans picked up t...