Diplomacy

Is India punching below its weight? NSA Doval thinks so, what about you?

- by Manish Chand

Is India punching below its weight? It’s the mother of all questions for contemporary practitioners of statecraft and diplomacy, and the country’s strategic thinking elite.

One can go on debating this proposition endlessly, and the country’s diplomatic-strategic establishment can delude itself into comforting clichés about the emergence of India as a major power in the shifting global geopolitical landscape. But National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is a staunch realist, and he has rearticulated what has been spoken often in the strategic circles – yes, India has been underperforming when it comes to leveraging its growing economy, its status as the world’s most populous democracy, and its indubitable soft power strengths.

“India has a mentality to punch below its weight. We should not punch below our weight or above our weight, but improve our weight and punch proportionately,” Mr Doval said in his address entitled ‘State Security, Statecraft, and Conflict of values’ at the 21st Lalit Doshi Memorial Lecture in Mumbai.

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Gujarat/Goa connection: Why India-Mozambique ties matter

- by Manish Chand

In Maputo, being Indian is not an oddity – it’s not just 20,000 persons of Indian origin living in this picturesque Lusophone country that make you feel at home, but a sense of deep cultural connections that hark back centuries, predating Vasco da Gama’s voyages. It does not matter if you don’t understand a word of Portuguese; the sensuous lilts of music, spicy food and rich emotions draw you in. And it’s a relationship that is literally shining in the sun — drive around 20 miles away from Maputo to the India-assisted Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Plant set up in Matola Rio Administrative Post, and you get a sense of what’s bringing the Gujarat-educated Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi to India on a five-day visit (starting August 4).

The solar panel plant, which was built with India’s Line of Credit and technical assistance over two years ago, is now literally bringing clean light into the lives of thousands of people in villages, and also generating new employment opportunities. “The solar panel factory represents an important milestone on the development of our country,” said Castro José Elias, Provincial Director for Maputo.

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Historic pact signed, peace gets chance in Nagaland

- by India Writes Network

In a historic step, the Indian government signed a peace pact with the chief rebel group of Nagaland NSCN (IM), bringing an end to India’s longest insurgency after six decades. The pact, which marks the closure of nearly two decades of peace talks, was signed by chief Indian interlocutor N. Ravi and T. Muivah, chairman of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) at 7 Race Course Road, the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Besides Mr Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and 19 Naga leaders from various organizations were present at the historic signing ceremony. Mr Modi hailed the accord, saying “it is a lesson and an inspiration in our troubled world.”

“We will not only try to heal wounds and resolve problems, but also be your partner as you restore your pride and prestige,” he stressed.

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