Frozen Frontiers
"Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate. "---Benjamin Franklin.
Among all the things India lacks,are good neighbors.Add to it the fact that we cant pick and choose.
Experts say having a good foreign policy along with some treaties thrown in can be part of a good solution.The moot point is any treaty or policy is to be respected and followed by both sides.
What do you do with a politically volatile and unstable country like Pakistan where the government changes at the drop of a hat?.Most of the times they don't even have a government with dictators running the show.
On the western side we have Pakistan to contend with.We have issues with them not only on the border but on dams and rivers as well.We have the Indus water treaty,the Shimla agreement and various others.we can have as many treaties we like but the point is if both sides don't stand by them,the whole exercise becomes an eye wash.The Shimla agreement states that we should resolve differences peacefully.This was signed in 1972.In hindsight it looks like a joke since we fought the Kargil war after that.These will continue as long as both sides lack political will to resolve differences.
To the south we have Sri lanka.A country which has its own share of problems with the LTTE.
Its an economy which is resurfacing after the Tsunami struck.
Towards the north we have Nepal.Once a flourishing Hindu kingdom.Now a dented economy trying to recuperate.Until the Maoists were kept out of Kathmandu there was hope.Now they are part of the government and they have even brought it down citing differences.The Indian government watched helplessly as monarchy in Nepal collapsed.Only when things got out of hand they requested Sitaram Yechury to speak to his "comrades" and resolve the issue.The foolishness of the Indian government cost us a good neighbor and the world lost another democracy.
Next to it we have Bangladesh.They owe their freedom to us.However they are seen more as a threat than a good neighbor.Although India did its bit as far as Bangladesh is concerned,today we have an opponent instead of a friend.
On the east we have the biggest threat in the form of China.They openly claim Arunachal to be a part of China.Tibet was a joke for them.As Myanmar boils,the Chinese are busy consolidating their position.They will make sure they control Myanmar after sometime.All this while the Indian government is still contemplating whether to step in.
The government needs to be proactive and salvage the situation.We need democracies around the world to survive.we don't need to follow the US by setting up military bases and imposing sanctions on other countries.If India needs good neighbors it needs to do something not wait for the next monsoon or the next government.The aim is for a freer,friendlier world.
Among all the things India lacks,are good neighbors.Add to it the fact that we cant pick and choose.
Experts say having a good foreign policy along with some treaties thrown in can be part of a good solution.The moot point is any treaty or policy is to be respected and followed by both sides.
What do you do with a politically volatile and unstable country like Pakistan where the government changes at the drop of a hat?.Most of the times they don't even have a government with dictators running the show.
On the western side we have Pakistan to contend with.We have issues with them not only on the border but on dams and rivers as well.We have the Indus water treaty,the Shimla agreement and various others.we can have as many treaties we like but the point is if both sides don't stand by them,the whole exercise becomes an eye wash.The Shimla agreement states that we should resolve differences peacefully.This was signed in 1972.In hindsight it looks like a joke since we fought the Kargil war after that.These will continue as long as both sides lack political will to resolve differences.
To the south we have Sri lanka.A country which has its own share of problems with the LTTE.
Its an economy which is resurfacing after the Tsunami struck.
Towards the north we have Nepal.Once a flourishing Hindu kingdom.Now a dented economy trying to recuperate.Until the Maoists were kept out of Kathmandu there was hope.Now they are part of the government and they have even brought it down citing differences.The Indian government watched helplessly as monarchy in Nepal collapsed.Only when things got out of hand they requested Sitaram Yechury to speak to his "comrades" and resolve the issue.The foolishness of the Indian government cost us a good neighbor and the world lost another democracy.
Next to it we have Bangladesh.They owe their freedom to us.However they are seen more as a threat than a good neighbor.Although India did its bit as far as Bangladesh is concerned,today we have an opponent instead of a friend.
On the east we have the biggest threat in the form of China.They openly claim Arunachal to be a part of China.Tibet was a joke for them.As Myanmar boils,the Chinese are busy consolidating their position.They will make sure they control Myanmar after sometime.All this while the Indian government is still contemplating whether to step in.
The government needs to be proactive and salvage the situation.We need democracies around the world to survive.we don't need to follow the US by setting up military bases and imposing sanctions on other countries.If India needs good neighbors it needs to do something not wait for the next monsoon or the next government.The aim is for a freer,friendlier world.
posted by Realpolitik at 2:37 PM
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