Tag: geopolitics

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लाल टोपी रुसी – दिल हिन्दुस्तानी: Indo – Russian Relations

Indo-Russian Relations

 

 “special and privileged strategic partnership”

 

 Geography and Geopolitics have been binding Russia and India together in the past. However, in the world politics there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests and these also change with time. The deep, traditional and even “time-tested relations” shared for decades cannot be taken for granted. The premise of Indo-Russia relationship has undergone significant changes since the end of the Cold War. The strategic bond that existed between India and the Soviet Union is not the same as that with Russia and has been considerably diluted. Every country places its national interests above anything else, so does Russia. Russia may not be a partner at the earlier level and perhaps we should not expect it either. From the “special and privileged strategic partnership,” we appear to be moving towards a transactional relationship.

 

Defence Cooperation: India-Russia Strategic Partnership in Recess | Vivekananda International Foundation

Pic: Coutesy mapsofindia.com

Defence Cooperation. One of the strong pillar of India-Russia ties has is in the defence field. A close defence relationship with any country is based on trust which takes time to build. A critical issue is risk of interruption in supplies during conflict situations due to political reasons. Russia has been a tried and tested partner in this regard. Russia has been offering advanced defence equipment and sensitive military technologies. Almost 60 – 70 percent of equipment with India’s armed forces is of Russian origin. Sudden decoupling or complete switch to western equipment is not possible.

 

“We need to convert the extraordinary goodwill between India and Russia into a thriving, visible, vigorous, and mutually beneficial economic relationship”.

 

– Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 

Importance of Relationship. Russia, of course, can no longer provide the kind of political and economic support to India as it did in the Cold War years. For India, Russia is a vital partner for energy security, and defence needs, willing to supply the “cutting-edge technology”. India-Russia relations have not been limited to energy and defence. While defence has been the strongest leg of the bilateral cooperation, there are several other areas in which the two countries cooperate – spanning culture, trade, transportation, education, science and technology, space and nuclear energy etc.

 

“Tolstoy and Gandhi had an indelible effect on each other. Let India and Russia make their relations better by taking inspiration from them. Let both the nations become bigger stakeholders in each other’s development,”

– Indian PM Shri N Modi

 

Way Ahead. India-Russia relations may not be as warm as they were during the Cold War, but both countries remain important for each other in the existing geopolitical scenario. Rapidly changing geo-political and geo-strategic dynamics presents significant challenges but also opportunities that India and Russia can leverage to further invigorate and intensify their relations to mutual advantage. Both the nations should view the relationship in a pragmatic manner, address their differences and divergences and identify fresh areas for cooperation. Many areas exist in which both countries can expand and deepen their relations for mutual benefit. Some suggestions are as follows:-

  • Cooperation could be enhanced in the high technology field including robotics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, space, nuclear energy, biotechnology and hydrocarbons,
  • Other areas of focus could include infrastructure, skill development, agriculture, shipbuilding, railways, aviation, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and deep sea exploration etc.
  • The two countries could cooperate effectively on regional and global issues in multilateral bodies.
  • Both should sustain and further reinforce dialogue at the highest as well as at Ministerial / Senior Official level.
  • Increase people-to-people connectivity, with special focus on the younger generation and cultural sphere. Regular cooperation with the Russian and Indian think tanks and joint publications would create better understanding of each other.

Comments and value additions are most welcome

 

Coming up : Other parts of the Equation

effect of Indo – US,  Russia – Pakistan and China – Russia relations

 

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References:

  1. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/india-must-be-realistic-about-russia-relations
  2. https://theprint.in/opinion/india-russia-less-useful-to-each-other-now-disagreements-will-only-grow/621264/
  3. https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-russia-ties-in-a-changing-world-order-in-pursuit-of-a-special-strategic-partnership-56877/
  4. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india-russia-relations-in-a-post-covid-world/
  5. https://thediplomat.com/2020/12/india-russia-relations-face-more-trouble/
  6. https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/isnt-yet-time-write-obituary-india-russia-ties
  7. https://indianembassy-moscow.gov.in/70-years-of-india-russia-relations-a-historic-milestone.php

 

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Pakistan Through US Prism (Part1)

USA has been partnering with Pakistan for the war against terrorism. Few reports are available in the open domain about how USA perceives Pakistan and its Military.

Some of these perceptions of USA about Pakistan and comments are as follows:

 

General

Pakistanis remain in a grim mood about the state of their country. Overwhelming majorities are dissatisfied with national conditions, unhappy with the nation’s economy, and concerned about political corruption and crime. 

Most Pakistanis see a struggle taking place between Islamic fundamentalists and groups that want to modernize the country; and the vast majority of those who do see a struggle identify with the modernizers.

 

About Pakistan Army.

Continue reading “Pakistan Through US Prism (Part1)”

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Book Review: 1962 Border Wars

Book review published by

The Book Review Literary Trust

 

BOOK NAME: 1962 Border Wars – Sino-Indian territorial disputes and beyond

AUTHOR NAME: Ismail Vengasseri

REVIEWER NAME: Anil Khosla

Abridged Review:


Fifty years ago, on October 20, 1962, China attacked India, apparently provoked by a territorial dispute and tensions over Tibet. The war was brief, however, it affected the psyche of both countries and still casts a long shadow over Sino-Indian relations. The historical imprint of the war still affects the attitude and decision-making process of the two countries. Like all wars, the 1962 war between China and India had multiple causes. These factors need to be examined dispassionately to learn lessons for the future. China has always been an enigma and is considered to be a mysterious riddle to be solved. Her aggressive and belligerent approach and attitude towards the world at large and India in particular during the time of the pandemic has left everyone wondering about her psyche. Scholars have attributed several reasons to it which include opportunism, power intoxication, diversion of attention and desperation seeing the dream of rejuvenation slipping away.

The relationship between the two countries was cordial till about 1950 in spite of existing disputed boundaries. Numerous factors led to the souring of relations between the two Asian giants finally leading to the armed conflict in 1962. The recent India-China stand-off has generated a renewed interest and debate about Sino-India relations. 1962 Border War: Sino-Indian Territorial Disputes and Beyond by Ismail Vengasseri is timely and useful in correlating the present situation with the past as it reveals the historical factors which shaped Sino-Indian relations and reasons for frequent skirmishes along the border. It helps in understanding how such a brief and limited conflict has had such immense and long-lasting political and other consequences. India still sees China as a nationalist, aggressive power which seeks to dominate Asia and one that might once again strike unexpectedly, just as it did in 1962.

The book brings out the historical timelines of relations between the two nations and the factors responsible for the souring of relations leading up to the war. The book is divided into nine chapters critically analysing each factor.

The work is interdisciplinary in nature and has good references for further research. The author has carried out an analytical study dealing with the subject comprehensively, bringing out the complexities in a lucid manner. In the end, he has summarized it very well listing out the conclusions and making valuable recommendations.

In the initial part, the book has analysed all the available literature and records in detail and explains the topography of the area. Primary sources of the study include the Henderson Brooks-Bhagat Report, the official history of conflict with China brought out by the Government of India, CIA report on the Sino-India border dispute, the documents of the Ministry of External Affairs on treaties and agreements, and digital documents included in the historical archives of USA.

Full review.  Available at  The book review Literary Trust publication Volume XLV Number 3 March 2021.

Reference: https://www.thebookreviewindia.org/historical-timelines-of-sino-indian-relations/