THE INDIA WAY - STRATEGIES FOR AN UNCERTAIN WORLD BY S. JAISHANKAR: A BOOK REVIEW (By- Niraj Kumar Seth)
THE INDIA
WAY - STRATEGIES FOR AN UNCERTAIN WORLD BY S. JAISHANKAR: A BOOK REVIEW
Authored By- Niraj Kumar Seth
The India way
is an insider look at how the Indian foreign policy has evolved since
independence, what global events and disruptions shaped it to its current form
and how resilient it has been to challenges over seven decades of
post-independent history of India. It also spells out possible policy
responses. It throws light on the new direction that Indian diplomacy has taken
after 2014 and provides a detached analysis of the rationale for such a
reorientation. The book provides a refreshing perspective about India’s foreign
policy options, beyond the traditional dogmas of the cold war era. By drawing
analogies from the legends of the great epic, Mahabharata, the author explains
the various components and tools of diplomacy. The book recommends the future course
that Indian diplomacy should take, drawing lessons from India’s own culture and
traditions, enriched by works such as Arthashastra, Mahabharata, etc. The book
was written by the author in the course of the last two years through a series
of events and lectures given by him at think tanks, conferences and business
forums. The book dispassionately appreciates global developments as an
overarching context, including the coronavirus epidemic, which in the author’s view is the harbinger of change
that the world will now experience.
The author, S.
Jaishankar has had an illustrious career as a professional diplomat for more
than four decade that culminated with a three-year tenure as the Foreign
Secretary of India from 2008 to 2011. He is currently the External Affairs
Minister of India and is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the
state of Gujarat. As an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer he has served as
the Indian Ambassador to the countries like the United States, China, and
Singapore. He holds a PHD in International Relations on nuclear diplomacy from
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri award
in 2019.
The first
chapter titled as “The lessons of Awadh, the dangers of strategic complacency”
deals with the theme of Indian self-absorption, since the time of British East
India company during 17th century to the emergence of China in the present
century. The author coins another term for this old Indian trait as “the
Panipat syndrome”, by which he means the default option of playing defence in
the face of invasions and a mindset that does not comprehend or anticipate
external events. Therefore, he recommends India to do in Rome as Romans do and
adopt the ‘sabka saath, sabka Vikas, sabka Vishwas’ in foreign policy also to
engage with the world more comprehensively. According to him, the pandemic has
allowed India to project itself as the pharmacy of the world and can contribute
to its Brand building, the same way as IT did.
The second
chapter titled “The art of disruption, The United States in a flatter world”,
deals with the issues around erosion of alliances, withdrawal of the USA from
major international commitments and the Sino-US competition. In his view, China
has been winning without fighting, while the US was fighting without winning in
the last two decades. International relations, according to him is an exercise
of both forging convergence and managing divergence. The closer parity between
US and China today has diluted convergence, the same way as it happened with US
and USSR in 1948. Today, global supply is perceived as an economic threat and
immigration as a cultural one in author’s view. Control over key disruptive
technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced
computing, etc. is part of the new contestation for the influence of the world.
The disenchantment with globalization has led to the electoral success of
nationalist candidates. In this disrupted world, the author recommends that
India must exploit power differentials, forge more contemporary ties, manage
differences and find stability in a changing dynamic. Friends who differ and
competitors who cooperate are the notable traits of this emerging scenario,
referred to as “frenemies” by the author.
The third
chapter titled “The Krishna’s choice, the strategic culture of a rising power”
draws analogies from the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, to distill the
Indian thought on statecraft. He draws a parallel between the crisis of
confidence that Arjuna undergoes in the battlefield against his own kinfolk
with the ‘soft state’ nature of Indian power, unwilling to do what is
necessary. Arjuna’s choice of an unarmed Krishna over his army (leveraging
asymmetric capabilities like artificial intelligence, robotics, etc.), killing
of Jarasandha of Magadha at Krishna’s instance (Regime change), the house of
lac conspiracy by Kauravas (Strategic deception), etc. are some other examples
from the epic that teach important lessons in diplomacy. Building ties,
accessing technology of others, leveraging external environment, ability to
shape and control narrative, ethical positioning, brand building, use of
asymmetric tactics, alliance discipline, etc. are some other lessons in
diplomacy that India can learn from the Mahabharata.
The fourth
chapter titled, “The dogmas of Delhi, overcoming the hesitations of history”
begins with what the author calls ‘the theory of insanity’, on the lines of
Albert Einstein’s ‘Theory of Relativity’. It refers to the tendency of doing
same things over and over again and then expect the same results. At this
moment in world politics, our long-held beliefs no longer hold true and if the
word is different, we need to think, talk and engage accordingly. Past cannot
be an infallible guide to future in all circumstances in his view. The author
opines that we need to overcome our hesitation of history with rigorous debates
and diligence. Risk-taking is an inherent aspect of diplomacy and thus
according to him, a low-risk foreign policy is only likely to produce limited
rewards. Such risk-taking foreign policy did yield benefits in past, for
instance, the 1971 Bangladesh war, willingness to expand the initial conflict
beyond Kashmir in 1965, the 2005 Indo-US Nuclear deal, etc. Therefore, he
suggests that the starting point for our new journey into the world of
convergence is to put the dogmas behind.
The fifth
chapter titled, “Of mandarins and masses, public opinion and the west” is
centered around the conflict between nationalism and globalization that our
world is witnessing today. The offshoring of manufacturing, extension of global
supply chains and expansion of immigration flows are driving greater
nationalism and insularity in the west and fueling an anti-globalizations
narrative. As the US is increasingly turning inwards, the glue which hitherto
bound the Atlantic alliance is threatening to come unstuck. However, to
discount west would be a serious folly as still the major markets are in the
west, and so are capital needed for growth. West continues to be the main
source of technology and innovation, even if the leads are eroding. Global
institutions and standards are set by the west even today. Defence budgets are
heavily dominated by the western expenditure and the US and Europe still remain
the leading suppliers of military and dual-use technologies. Therefore, in
author’s views, stronger partnership with the west will lead to considerable
economic, technological, and political gains to India.
The sixth
chapter titled as “The Nimzo-Indian defence, managing China’s rise” deals with
the future of Indo-Chinese relationship. The ‘Indian Defence’ is a popular
opening for those who play black in chess. In chess, the one who plays white
makes the first move before the black as a rule. The author opines that playing
black has been the standard Indian strategic posture as Indian foreign policy
has been reactive for most of its history. The two countries shared a tradition
of strong intellectual, religious and commercial contacts in the ancient era of
the real silk road. The author highlights deep cultural association between the
two ancient civilizations. The bottom-line according to the author is that
peace and tranquility on the borders must prevail for a more settled
Sino-Indian relationship.
The seventh
chapter titled as “A delayed destiny, India, Japan and the Asian balance” deals
with the future of Indo-Japanese relation and India’s evolving Act East policy
with ASEAN in the center. Preoccupation with China, a difficult immediate
neighbor (Pakistan for India and North Korea for Japan) and historical events
driven by the West (Partition of India and defeat of Japan in World War 2) led
to a harmonious but distant co-existence of the two Asian giants. However,
gradually the two countries came closer as the two have a shared commitment to
democracy, tolerance, pluralism and open society. The civil nuclear energy
cooperation, Delhi Metro Rail Project, Logistics Exchange Agreement of 2019 are
some of the recent fruits of this reinvigorated partnership. India decided to
look more to the east after 1991 in correction of its foreign policy that was
hitherto obsessed with the West - both the US and USSR were faces of the
Western world, even if they represented competing force. Since then, India’s
interface with South-East Asia and East Asia has grown steadily. Its economic
collaboration with Japan, South Korea and China has expanded under all
governments.
The last
chapter, titled as “The Pacific Indian, a re-emerging maritime outlook” entails
with the evolution of the idea of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and India’s outreach to
the Indian Ocean region. The trigger for the Indo-Pacific may have been the
change in the American stance and the rise of China, but for India, the author
believes, it is the logical next step beyond Act East. India’s location jutting
into the center gives it a unique attribute. The Malabar exercise, SAGAR
(Security and Growth for all in the region), Project Mausam, Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA), anti-piracy operations, EEZ surveillance, Indian Ocean Naval
Symposium (IONS) are some of the collaborative and joint forums that India has
initiated and leads in the region. Strengthening the sense of extended
neighborhood on the basis of a stronger connectivity is part of India’s
reclaiming of its history. A common rule-based order, equal access to global
commons under International Law, freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and
peaceful settlement of disputes are its other attributes.
Finally, the
author in his Epilogue discusses a post-corona future of the world. Corona
nationalism is the version of nationalism that is playing out before us in the
form of pursuance of health goals by nations with little regards to welfare of
others. For India, the author recommends that both the national circumstances
and global situations call for a much greater emphasis on self-reliance
(Atmanirbharta), greater innovation and creativity and greater emphasis on Make
in India, not just for Indians but for the world. He believes that Atmanirbhar
Bharat does co-exists with Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is a family).
The India
way is like a cookbook of foreign policy and diplomacy, wherein the author, a
master chef of diplomacy reveals his secret recipes about the future course of
India way of engaging with the post-corona world. His optimism about the new
course that the Indian diplomacy has taken after 2014 is backed by hard facts
that only a top diplomat of his stature can experience. He brings in unique
perspectives and makes remarkable suggestions about the Indo-Chinese and the
Indo-American ties. The chapter that draws analogies from the Mahabharata to
explain different facets of diplomacy and statecraft is the most outstanding
illustration of his unique approach. The book is as relevant to the students of
diplomacy as for those involved in policy making. For readers, aspiring for a
career in diplomacy or foreign services, the book provides them with a
comprehensive view about the basic tenets of Indian foreign policy since
inception and its evolution overtime. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to state
that this book is a window to the future of India’s foreign policy and its
relevance will only increase in future, as the author holds the reins of Indian
diplomacy, as its current foreign minis