Given the current Indo-American bonhomie, as well as the instinctive and emotional tendency to support underdog Ukraine, Washington’s request seems reasonable.
By Farooq Wani
With America as the self-proclaimed universal guardian of democratic values and human rights and ethical behavior, you would expect Washington to have many friends. However, because of its brazen policy of relentlessly pursuing self-interest without regard for the genuine sensitivities of others, Washington has more adversaries than friends. This is not surprising at all, because Washington has a long history of forcing itself on countries, ostensibly to set things right, but once its self-interest was served, the hapless people left to their own devices.
It could be argued that since each country puts its national interests first, it is not fair to single out the US, and on the face of it their claim is correct. However, there is a clear difference: using diplomacy to advance national interests is justified, but using brute muscle and subterfuge is unacceptable. While Iraq and Libya are two recent examples of the former, the creation and equipping of fundamentalist terrorist groups to wage their proxy war against the then-Soviets in Afghanistan is a classic example of the latter.
Ukraine is the latest victim of Washington’s uncivilized policy of fomenting a country to the point of war against a superior adversary through imprecise promises of support, then abandoning them. So while Russia is undoubtedly guilty of violating the UN charter by waging war and invading Ukraine, Washington is complicit in making this tragedy happen. In fact, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia is not wrong when he accuses the US of “openly inciting Ukraine”. As they say, it takes two hands to clap.
The goal here, however, is not to play the blame game, but to focus on a much bigger problem: the gigantic human tragedy that this war has spawned. So while the international community’s efforts to put diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia to withdraw are significant, the US decision to urge NATO countries to arm Ukraine deserves more consultation. While this move is indeed commendable from the perspective of giving relatively much weaker Ukraine the means of self-defense, the practicality is that it will not help overwhelm Russia and thus end the conflict – instead it will reduce the bloodshed and misery. of the Ukrainians.
In its diplomatic offensive against arch-opponent Russia, Washington wants India’s support. Given the current Indo-American bonhomie, as well as the instinctive and emotional tendency to support underdog Ukraine, Washington’s request seems reasonable. Even realists in India who see the US as a reliable ally, and thus a credible deterrent to China’s militancy, would argue that cordial relations are the necessity of the hour. While Washington remains eloquent on Indo-US relations, New Delhi must proceed with extreme caution as the lessons from the Ukraine crisis are loud and clear.
US President Joe Biden’s statement that “any country that tolerates Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be tainted by association” may have been a general observation, full of emotions. However, with the US Secretary of State calling Indian Secretary of State Dr. S Jaishankar told him to accept “the importance of a strong collective response to Russian aggression”, the US’s “soft” arm-twisting tactics have become abundantly clear. New Delhi has been demanding an end to armed hostilities all along and Washington is aware that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accordingly met more than once with Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Still, Washington wants India to join the US-led “club” by condemning Russia, and the expectation isn’t too far-fetched, given that having dealt with spineless countries like Pakistan in the past, it might lose the loyalty (or submission) from New Delhi. as a matter of course. Some say that since Ukraine voted against India’s nuclear test in 1998 and sold T80 tanks to Pakistan, New Delhi has been reluctant to give the country any support.
However, India has shown persuasiveness by taking a pragmatic view of the crisis in Ukraine. While it has not provided or pledged any form of military aid to Ukraine, or has condemned Russia, New Delhi has nevertheless sent three shipments of humanitarian aid to Kiev, demonstrating India’s sincere solidarity with the war-ravaged people of Ukraine. After providing humanitarian aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, New Delhi has made it clear to the world that it is fully committed to alleviating the suffering of unfortunate people around the world.
India today faces the covert Sino-Pak military threat, which it cannot face alone today. So while in an extreme case the assurance of US support may be a tempting consideration to join the US camp by condemning Russia, the harsh reality is that in an adverse situation Washington cannot be trusted to be by our side. . Thus, India has no choice but to be ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) as far as its security and defense needs are concerned. The reassuring fact here is that the Government of India has realized this reality and is making good progress towards increasing self-sufficiency.
(The author is editor – Brighter Kashmir, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist. Opinions expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Any unauthorized reproduction of this content is prohibited).
This post On India’s response to the conflict in Ukraine
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