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| Sunday, May 16, 2004 |
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| Sunday, May 16, 2004 |
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Asia Annual 2003
Let’s first have a look at China and Pakistan, our two main strategic concerns. Discussing the periphery and strategy of China, Zhao Gancheng of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies says that its "major interests and concerns are fundamentally regional, quite defensive and not expansive." He quotes the example of the pullout of its troops from the then North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) after the unilateral ceasefire had been announced. While Zhao blames the war on Nehru’s Forward Policy, we all know it was India that edged its way forward in the Kinzamane Namka Chu sector in 1962, leading to the Chinese retaliation and our ultimate humiliation as we were not prepared for Nehru’s diktat of "throwing out the Chinese from the Thagla Ridge." On the one hand, it was Nehru and his Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai slogan and on the other hand, the complacency in our political leadership and generalship that there could never be a war against this "friendly" neighbour, which ultimately let us down. G. Parthasarathi, a former Ambassador and diplomat, throws light on the Pakistan army’s status and perks. He narrates how in that country a retiring Chief of the Army Staff could get upto 400 acres of agricultural land allotted "virtually free of cost." Those with meritorious service awards can get from 12.5 to 50 acres of agricultural land. A Pakistani visitor of Parthasarathi was shocked to see a former Indian COAS drive his old Maruti car in Delhi, and said that in Pakistan retired Generals go about in chauffeur-driven Mercedes. However, he sums up his article by saying that the Pakistan army is the biggest stumbling block to the establishment of friendly India-Pakistan relations, a view that this reviewer, with a considered view and knowledge of both the Pakistan and Indian armies, would partially disagree with. It is the political heads on both sides who have their own grand designs to safeguard their political interests. The growing discontent within the ranks of our own veterans does not auger well for the future of the Indian state. The digest is heavy, and rightly so, on Central Asia, Russia and Moscow’s post-Soviet era policy. After all, this is the strategic ring that surrounds India in the north, and the geopolitics of this region impacts directly on virtually every facet of the country’s foreign policy. Arun Mohanty in his well reasoned out article on the Russian policy writes that the US presence in Central Asia consequent to its foray in Afghanistan, which strikes at the "strategic belly of three Asian giants—Russia, China and India," poses fresh challenges. Anita Sengupta writing on Russia in Eurasia says that the presence of NATO forces in Central Asia is being seen by some as "the penetration of a strategic region that undermines the security not only of Russia but also of China." She also brings to surface an improtant aspect of the Russian hold over the newborn Central Asian Republics, with much of the "dissident elite" from these countries now holed up in Moscow. The topic look eastwards from India has also been covered in some detail. S. D. Muni says: "A vibrant and resilient "Look-East Policy" can help India translate the promise of this moment into a concrete and lasting reality." The strength of this book lies in the range of subjects that it covers and a wide band of contributors. The inclusion of foreign writers adds value to this volume and makes for an enjoyable and fruitful read. |
NINETEEN well-documented articles on subjects ranging
from the Gita in Urdu to diplomacy and security of China, from Pakistan’s
Army and India’s relations with Pakistan and America to Vietnam and
the Indian diaspora in Australia, and quite surprisingly for an Asian
Annual, the second Bush war, all this and more make up for this Annual
published under the aegis of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of
Asian Studies. This is a wholesome volume of cross-disciplinary
interests, with a sharp focus on the economic, strategic, political and
social spectrum in the troubled heartland of Asia.