Security, diplomacy
Russia’s war on Ukraine has taught the world a few lessons — that every nation is on its own as far as its security is concerned, and that all the relations between nations are only transactional. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky seems to have been pursuing a mirage, i.e., western nations would come to his rescue at some point. But, alas, he has been fighting with his back to the wall. Even the resolutions sponsored by the other superpower, the United States, do not seem to have made any difference to the ongoing war. The ‘talks’ between Russia and Ukraine are moving at a snail’s pace even as Russia continues to pound Ukraine. It is strange that Russia refuses to hold fire. All this has an important lesson for India, which faces an emerging superpower, China, on the north and a recalcitrant Pakistan on the west. Both are nuclear armed nations too. While the present balancing policy of India, of not siding with Russia or Ukraine, may work for the moment, New Delhi needs to make itself stronger to be able to continue with this neo non-alignment strategy. Now that the BJP is well entrenched politically, it can afford to pay greater attention to the security of the country.
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
