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Business News/ Opinion / The year of great initiatives
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The year of great initiatives

Narendra Modi's foreign policy initiatives are all much needed which are likely to bear fruit only after the government's second anniversary

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: ReutersPremium
A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first year of foreign policy, which began dramatically with the first ever invite to (and participation of) leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries to his swearing-in, will end with an equally significant three-nation tour of China, Mongolia and South Korea. In between, Modi notched up an impressive list of foreign policy “firsts", including the first to host a US president at the Republic Day celebrations and hold two summits within six months; the first to call for “peace, stability and order" in oceans, outer space and cyberspace; and the first to articulate the need for India to lead the fight against climate change and take responsibility to help counter new threats to global peace and security.

This activism has led to great expectations, especially since foreign policy barely found a mention in Modi’s election campaign.

In retrospect, Modi’s foreign policy engagement is inevitable and is driven by the twin objectives of making India the world’s third largest economy and, consequently, a key player in an emerging multi-polar world. To achieve these objectives, two conditions are essential: ensuring a no-war scenario in the neighbourhood and developing the ability to shape rules (rather than block them) in global institutions, which will affect the country’s well-being.

These objectives are not new. What has changed in Modi’s stead has been the pace, implementation and operationalization in a more meaningful way to deepen and widen India’s foreign policy engagement.

Modi’s foreign policy initiatives have been undertaken in a vastly more chaotic geopolitical world.

To the east, China is staking claims on disputed territories in the Asia-Pacific region and spreading its influence to the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. To the west, the relationship with Pakistan continues to be fraught, with no solutions in sight. To the north, India’s long-term ally and recalcitrant Russia is under sanctions by the West for its intervention in Ukraine. Beyond India’s immediate neighbourhood, it has to adjust to an inwardly focused US, bruised after a decade-and-a-half of conflict and reluctant to flex its muscle any more. Islamic terrorism remains a major threat to global security with long-established states—home to millions of Indian workers—fracturing across West Asia and Africa. Indian hostages still in captivity in Iraq and the high-profile naval operations to evacuate Indians and others from Iraq, Kuwait and Yemen indicate the complexity and magnitude of this challenge. Modi has done well to avoid entanglement in these areas but will have to engage, as they will impact India’s strategic future.

However, Modi’s foreign policy initiatives are stymied by three domestic constraints. First, the lack of capacity in the Indian foreign policy establishment—the smallest not only among the Group of Twenty (G-20) countries but also in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa ) group—to take on the role that is being asked of it. While the government has taken steps to augment capacity, there is still a long way to go.

Second, apart from small numbers, India’s foreign ministry also lacks an institutionalized process of policy planning. This was evidenced when the recently appointed foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar, queried senior officers about who does the thinking about overall foreign policy in the government and was met with embarrassed silence. Steps have now been taken to empower and revamp the policy planning and research division for this role.

Third, the inability of New Delhi to effectively involve state governments as stakeholders in foreign policy has led to the latter sometimes scuttling bold initiatives. The establishment of a new foreign ministry division to increase engagement between the centre and state governments is a promising start. Additionally, each senior foreign service officer has been asked to work closely with at least two states to ensure their interests in the foreign policy process.

These are all much needed initiatives which are likely to bear fruit only after the government’s second anniversary.

W.P.S. Sidhu is senior fellow for foreign policy at Brookings India and a senior fellow at the Center on International Cooperation, New York University. He writes on strategic affairs every fortnight.

Comments are welcome at otherviews@livemint.com

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Published: 10 May 2015, 09:45 PM IST
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