All dressed up, nowhere to go

What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about” then US ambassador to the UN Madeline Albright told the cautious Army Chief of Staff Colin Powell, “if we can’t use it”? She could well have said this to the Indian government, which took more than a month to grant the Indian navy permission to patrol the Gulf of Aden. That finally Indian naval forces will be operating in this crucial waterway is less a testament to Indian government’s strategic assessment than it is to lack of choice. It has become India’s signature that it does not make a decision until no other way is left out to fudge the issue. The hijacking of the Stolt Valor with 18 Indians abroad underlined the need for a proactive stance by the Indian Navy in protecting India’s sea-borne trade as well as deterring piracy, alongside other navies deployed in this crucial region. But until recently, the defence minister explicitly ruled out hot pursuit of pirates “as a policy”, because “it has wider implications.”

There is a broader issue at stake here. A rapidly growing economy has given India the ability to spend on its defence readiness like never before. India has emerged as one of the largest arms buyers in the global market. In line with India’s broadening strategic horizons, its military acquisitions are seeing a marked shift from conventional land-based systems to means of power projection such as airborne refuelling systems and long-range missiles. But it remains unclear under what conditions India would be willing to use force in defending its interests.

If at all some suggestions are being made, they have verged on being facile. For example, ruling out sending of troops to Afghanistan, the Indian army chief said some time back that “India takes part only in UN approved/ sanctioned military operations and the UN has not mandated this action in Afghanistan so there is no question of India participating in it.” The army chief’s statement was not only factually inaccurate but also demonstrated a fundamental misreading of Indian security policy. Like other nations, India has tended to accept or ignore the UN as per national interest. The Indian armed forces remain obsessed with China and Pakistan while the civilian leadership lacks a substantive and sophisticated understanding of the role of force in foreign policy.

Military power remains central to the course of international politics as force retains its role as the

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PAPER TIGER by Mathew Robert on 2008-11-01 19:02:34.501164+05:30
India does not have a meaningful foreign policy. She drifts like a ruderless boat which gets battered by strong wind and waves. Since independence, Indias lack of political will to put her house in order, has doomed to a paper tiger. India's lack of resolve to stan up to Chaina since 1962 has contributed well to Chain's agressive policy as far as India is concerned. India allowed Chaina to place a noose around the neck, by controlling Inda;s neighbours. The recent auditors report highlights the plight of the Navy and the Air force. How can Inda monitor the sea routs, with such gaps in the defence department. Yet Inda glorifys herself aa a large spender on armaments. India is at present senario, is like al lass at a fashion show. Military exercises with the other countries is only a show. In reality India is a papaer tiger, devouring the large sums of funds in the pretest of modernization.

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All dressed up, nowhere to go by Excalibur on 2008-10-31 06:37:58.535843+05:30
While the inaction in the piracy crisis can be castigated, the decision to remain out of the Afghan conflict is wise. Our aspirations of regional superpowerhood notwithstanding, it would be prudent to put our own house in order and secure our own borders prior to contemplating (mis)adventures of this kind. Contrary to the writer's assertion, the Indian Army has lots of places to 'go' - starting with Siachen, coming down to strife torn valley, along the LOC and the North East for instance. Going by the past precedences, it won't be very long before the army is called in against naxalites also.Let us not forget the bitter lessons of IPKF in Srilanka.

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