Issue: I No: XII Compulsions Of Good Neighbourliness Pakistan's Mindset Remain Unchanged Good Governance - Strong Nation Transformation In Afghanistan and many more__ Published By : Vivekananda International Foundation 3, San Martin Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110021, [email protected], www.vifindia.org Contents ARTICLES - JPCs Must Have The Power To India And The South Asian Summon Ministers 51 Neighbourhood 3 - A Surya Prakash - Kanwal Sibal Special Laws To Counter Terrorism Dealing With The Neighbour From Hell - In India: A Reality Check 56 The Prime Minister Must Not Visit 19 - Dr N Manoharan 103 Pakistan - PP Shukla 107 India’s Nuclear Deterrence Must Be Professionally Managed 26 EVENTS - Brig (retd) Gurmeet Kanwal Vimarsha on “Transition in America Reviewing India-Afghanistan and China: Implications for India” Partnership 30 59 - Nitin Gokhale Grandma’s Remedies For Governance Issues 35 - Dr M N Buch CAG And The Indian Constitution 44 - Prof Makkhan Lal VIVEK : Issues and Options December – 2012 Issue: I No: XII 2 India And The South Asian Neighbourhood - Kanwal Sibal ndia’s relations with its thy neighbour as thyself” elicits no neighbours need to be obedience from the chancelleries of I analysed frankly and the world. unsentimentally, without recourse to the usual platitudes when Before talking of India and its pronouncing on the subject. It is neighbours, we should have a fashionable to assume that there clearer idea of what, in India’s is some larger moral imperative eyes, constitutes its that governs the relations between neighbourhood. Should we look at neighbours, with the bigger India’s neighbourhood country obliged to show a level of strategically or geographically? If generosity and tolerance towards a the first, then a case can be made smaller neighbour that would not out that India’s neighbourhood be applicable to the attitudes and encompasses the entire region the policies towards a more from the Straits of Hormuz to the distant country. The compulsions Straits of Malacca. This is India’s of “good neighbourliness” between security parameter. Developments countries are, however, not the in this region have a major impact same as between neighbours in on India. On the western side, six the same building or the same million Indians are employed in street. In the case of the latter, the the Gulf, sending back almost $35 rights, obligations and duties of billion as remittances. This region citizenship are the same, all live is the largest supplier of oil and under the authority of the same gas to India. This area is the heart state and conflicts are mediated of Islam and influences and through the instruments of law. ideologies emanating from there We should not commit the mistake impact on our immediate external of transposing to international environment and indeed, to an relations the codes of conduct extent, the domestic scene. In any between citizens of the same case, if India had not been divided country. The commandment “Love in 1947, its western frontier would * Kanwal Sibal – Member Advisory Board, VIF VIVEK : Issues and Options December – 2012 Issue: I No: XII 3 have extended to the Persian Gulf. neighbours, Myanmar is lost sight of, despite its critical geographical In the east, India’s possession of location adjacent to our north- the Andaman and Nicobar islands eastern states. Myanmar, which stretches our frontiers to the other applied for full membership in choke-point, the Malacca Straits. May 2008, has yet to consummate The Bay of Bengal has it. However, with the rapid Bangladesh, Myanmar and changes in the country, its opening Thailand as littoral countries. This up and the progressive removal of stretch of the sea is our link to sanctions it has been subject to, its Southeast Asia and beyond. For profile as India’s neighbour will buttressing our Look East policy, keep rising. this area is of vital importance. Apart Afghanistan may not be a Afghanistan may direct geographic neighbour from India forging today, but given the fact that not be a direct bilateral ties with we consider Pakistan’s geographic these countries, the occupation of the northern neighbour today, security of the sea areas in Jammu and Kashmir but given the fact lines of as illegal, we can in a sense that we consider communication in treat it as one. In any case, Pakistan’s with the inclusion of an area where the Afghanistan as a full member occupation of the only regional blue of SAARC, the political case for northern areas in water navy is treating Afghanistan as an Jammu and Indian devolves integral part of our Kashmir as illegal, some special neighbourhood stands we can in a sense responsibilities on reinforced. treat it as one. In India. any case, with the inclusion of Afghanistan as a full If geography alone were to member of SAARC, the political determine who our neighbours case for treating Afghanistan as are, then Pakistan, Nepal, an integral part of our Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka neighbourhood stands reinforced. and Maldives constitute the core of our neighbourhood. Myanmar is a With China’s occupation of Tibet, contiguous neighbour, but as we that country has become our direct have conditioned ourselves over neighbour. The outstanding border the years to view essentially the issue between India and China SAARC countries as our constitutes a major Indian foreign VIVEK : Issues and Options December – 2012 Issue: I No: XII 4 policy problem, colouring our held back because of this. relationship with the world’s Historically, Britain rose to global foremost rising power. Moreover, power status despite almost in India’s perception, China has ceaseless conflicts with its adversely influenced India’s neighbours. France became a relations with its South Asian world power despite being neighbours. China therefore embroiled in wars with qualifies as India’s most neighbours. China has huge formidable neighbour, affecting problems with its neighbours, India’s role not only in the South without this affecting its Asian region, but in Asia as a inexorable rise today as a global whole, and even at the global power. Turkey has problems with level. virtually all its neighbours, without this materially affecting The management of relations with its rise to regional power status. It neighbours is always a declared is, therefore, open to question priority of any country’s foreign whether a stable neighbourhood is policy. The assumption is that a a pre-requisite for a country’s rise stable neighbourhood strengthens to regional or global status. There a country’s foreign policy posture, are many other factors at play whereas an unstable and troubled that allow countries to rise and neighbourhood saps its ability to flourish even if their act fully effectively on the neighbourhood is not peaceful. international stage. The credibility of a country’s regional and global While, in theory, the need to have posture, it is believed, is also a peaceful, stable and friendly undermined if it is seen as neighbourhood may appear self- embroiled in disputes and conflicts evident, what would that mean in with neighbours. The accepted practical terms? Can one have view is that the time and energy good relations with neighbours spent in controlling events in the simply because that would be immediate neighbourhood is at the desirable in itself? Can one build cost of pursuing wider interests at such relations unilaterally? To the regional and global level. what extent should one be willing to make concessions? Should one In actual fact, most countries have look for reciprocity or not? How far very problematic relations with is it the responsibility primarily of neighbours, and yet many are not the bigger country to make the VIVEK : Issues and Options December – 2012 Issue: I No: XII 5 requisite effort in forging positive The short point is that countries relationships? Is a smaller country cannot always act in their always right in its demands? Can neighbourhood as they please a country demand or plead for depending on local advantages in extra consideration simply power equations. Outside forces because it is smaller? Should it on will be there to provide a that basis be entitled to a more counterbalance, either because a sensitive treatment of its fears, particular country might want to vulnerabilities and even paranoia? bring an external power into the neighbourhood to reduce the These are not the only issues that weight of a perceived regional arise in any examination of the hegemon, or external powers conditions in which themselves, pushed the neighbouring Sections of Indian public opinion are acutely conscious by balance of power countries relate to of India’s failure to stabilize its considerations, or each other. What own neighbourhood. It is policies of about the role of argued that India as the containment, may third parties, of biggest country in the region intrude into the external actors? has the primary responsibility region on their own During the Cold for managing the regional environment. Often India is and manipulate War period, the criticized for not being their local partners competing powers sufficiently generous to its for larger strategic had an incentive to neighbours, of hesitating to purposes. extend their make unilateral concessions to political and them, which it is believed it Sections of Indian ideological reach to can well afford to do. public opinion are all corners of the acutely conscious of globe. In that process, relations India’s failure to stabilize its own between neighbours, who were neighbourhood. It is argued that pulled at times in different India as the biggest country in the ideological directions, were region has the primary distorted, adding to the already responsibility for managing the existing tensions or regional environment. Often India misunderstandings. Today, in the is criticized for not being age of globalisation, different pulls sufficiently generous to its and pressures operate, and these neighbours, of hesitating to make could be helpful or harmful unilateral concessions to them, depending on circumstances.