NIKHIL JACOB
The world is marred with a plethora of environmental, security and terrorism, food, religion and unemployment crisis. India seems to be on the right track pertaining to certain issues, albeit many other issues await attention. Other nations should follow suit.
Even as modern means of communication has rendered distances insignificant in the age of ever increasing conflicts, intolerance and plebiscite, the diplomatic gulf between nations seems to be widening, more than ever! Exploitative development has taken the front seat and rising economies like China are leaving no stone unturned.
The Belt and road initiative (BRI) is a case in point. Much of their collaborative investments in African nations like Nigeria, Southeast Asian countries like Laos and South Asian countries like Sri Lanka have rendered these nations debt-ridden. China shares borders with 14 countries and have disputes with 18! Pakistan being an exception, with whom they plan the CPEC, through the disputed POK, paying no heed to India’s sovereignty. The South China Sea fiasco and the Dhoklam Standoff are scathing examples of China’s stand-alone and imperialistic policies.
While China is a new player, the USA was at it since India’s colonial times. Their exploits are best left unspoken. Their pull out from the Paris Climate convention and imminent decertification of the monumental Iran Nuclear deal (JCPoA) doesn’t provide any good vibes.
India has maintained strong diplomatic relations with all factions since independence, the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru took a stand with the famous Non alliance movement (NAM) when India was coaxed by USSR to align with the Warsaw pact, while USA prodded her to join NATO.
Even the incumbent PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policies are commendable. India has tried to establish diplomatic relationships with many of the countries and much of its foreign investments and policies are on the lines of inclusive and sustainable development. The Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), seen as a counter to China’s
ambitious BRI is a case in point.
Even as countries are embracing globalization and bridging gaps, a slew of plebiscites are taking place with the U.K. voting out of EU in the infamous Brexit, signalling an anti-globalization movement and now Catalan holding a referendum voting out of Spain for autonomy. Baluchistan in Pakistan is seeking identity, but Pakistan cannot afford another Bangladesh. Tibet in China has its own independence crisis. India too has it shares of identity seeking populace. Kashmir and the Nagas of northeast are examples of unsuccessful attempts (or on-going conflicts), while Telegana is the new addition to the nation’s ever increasing number of states. India has border disputes with Pakistan and China; Pakistan occupying Gilgit Balistan and Azad Kashmir forming POK and China occupying Aksai Chin forming COK. India has control over only about 45% of the Kashmir we see in maps today
Identity driven crisis led countries like Sri Lanka into the dark gallows of Civil War for nearly 3 decades, while it left the Rohingya of Myanmar homeless and neighbouring countries like India in a surplus of refugee influx. All this at a time when India is struggling to fend for her own growing population, leaving the Rohingya to lick their own wounds.
On one hand, we have oil rich Venezuela, amidst a socio-economic and political crisis, with the highest inflation rate in the world and widespread shortage of food, leading to skyrocketing crime rates that stood at staggering 91% homicides in 2016. On the other hand we have North Korea going haywire, seeking to bomb everything under the sky!
Much of these are issues, which found worldwide media glare; the truth is far more than what meets the eye. The world is marred with a plethora of environmental, security and terrorism, food, religion and unemployment crisis. India seems to be on the right track pertaining to certain issues, albeit many other issues await attention. Other nations should follow suit.
The question arising is where are we headed, while where we came from is still a mystery. What’s know is, “the world is one family”- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. We have to save it, you and me.
