Army & Foreign Policy

September 25, 2014


There are two ways in which a sovereign power interacts with another sovereign power- method of war and methods of speech. 

In the methods of war, the nation uses instruments of hard power such as military might, energy / food supplies, economic & financial control to evoke negative emotions of fear through threat. 

In methods of peace, the nation uses its diplomatic corps to invoke natural law, friendly feelings of goodwill as an instrument of soft power to attain desired outcomes. India's Nehruvian Foreign Policy used such instruments to have a larger say in global affairs than India's capability. 


The Half War 

During India's Freedom Struggle, the Moderate Leaders believed in use of soft power while the extremists & revolutionaries believed in use of Hard Power. Mahatma Gandhi combined both these instruments successfully. While he vigorously campaigned against the British, he kept the doors of negotiation open with the Viceroy and other administrators. He put pressure through demonstrations but during the talks he made concessions in those demands. 

Before this, negotiations were held between a victor and a defeated. Gandhi allowed both weak and strong to claim victory, fighting a half battle. 


A Foreign Policy Instrument 

Even after Gandhi, combining hard and soft power method had not become a foreign policy instrument. Nuclear States entered into Cold War, without actual fighting and this became Nuclear Deterrence. 

In the India-Pakistan War of 1965, both the countries captured almost equal amount of land and returning to status-quo was the Tashkent Solution. Again nobody could claim victory. 

In 1999, General Pervez Musharuff began using this as a technique on Foreign Policy stage. His first attempt in Kargil was a disaster as the soft power elements did not quickly back him up. But then, it started a trend by India's neighbours to create tensions on the borders with regard to territorial dispute and negotiate in Delhi in a friendly atmosphere. 

Even today, President Xi was in talks for Prime Minister Modi while Chinese troops had crossed the border. India may have wanted to avoid the Border Question and focus on investment. But Chinese have ensured that the both aspects of the relationship are discussed. 


Foreign Policy Failure 

The border between India and China was marked between Colonial Times when India was part of the powerful British Empire and Tibet was a weak entity. The Chinese and especially the 4th Generation Leadership of the Communist Party, see this century to belong to China. It wants to re-establish its might that clearly includes correcting historical injustices. Viewing it as territorial expansion is am incorrect assessment as the Chinese  probably view it as reaffirming rights. 

Pakistan views contiguous Muslim dominated regions of India as its own. When districts could be divided (Gurdaspur, Punjab in favour of India), when districts could be transferred (Sylhut, to East Pakistan /Bangladesh) then why should Kashmir part of the state of J&K not belong to Pakistan?

India has lost territory in the state of J&K to both China and Pakistan, but Indian Diplomats allow both of our neighbours to play the victim of injustice. They avoid issues which is brought into focus by skirmishes on the border. 

I think it's the failure of our once proud Diplomats who have fallen from flying India's flag higher than its ability under Nehru. It's time India develops a counter strategy to tackle the situation. 



By Ayush Prasad
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Comment on this article

  • Anita sequeira, Bendur - Mangalore

    Mon, Sep 29 2014

    Hi Ayush,
    Nice articles and wish you all the best...Keep up your good work and publish more articles.
    Regards,
    Urban, Anita & Amanda

  • Ruben Pinto, Australia

    Thu, Sep 25 2014

    Hi Ayush,
    I always found your articles straight to the point, completely summed up and a reality. This one is no exception. keep writing.


Leave a Comment

Title: Army & Foreign Policy



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.