India's hawkish policy in South Asia
Yuba Nath Lamsal
India's foreign policy in general and South Asia policy in particular is based on Kautilya's theory. Kautilya's treatise of diplomacy and war emphasizes on acquiring influence by use of force—both soft and hard power. Kautilya's so-called Mandala theory of foreign policy states: 'the immediate neighbours are considered as enemies, but any state on the other side of a neighboring state is regarded as an ally, or, the enemy of my enemy is my friend'.
Kautilya believed that diplomacy was just another weapon used in the prolonged warfare that was always either occurring or being planned for, which the modern India has followed in letter and spirit when it comes to the relationship with its neighbours. Some foreign policy critics have gone one step ahead to term India's neighbourhood policy as being guided by colonial mentality. The 'use of force', 'divide and rule' policy and the 'doctrine of laps' that British rulers had applied to take control over South Asia are also the bases of modern and independent India's foreign policy especially with its smaller and weaker neighbours.
Indian policy with its small neighbours has always been hawkish and hegemonic. As a result, India's relationship with all neighbours is characterized by suspicion and fear. Indian policy is more hawkish and hegemonic after the end of the cold war. During the cold war, there was a balance of power in South Asia as the United States had allied with Pakistan, which had helped in keeping tab on Indian's hegemonic design. The end of the Cold War saw a marked shift in America's South Asia policy. The United States guided by economic interests and objective of containing China tilted its policy towards India. America started looking at things in South Asia through Indian eyes. India has taken the American policy shift as an endorsement of its hegemonic policy in South Asia, which has made New Delhi more hawkish whereas small South Asian countries have felt vulnerable from security point of view. Encouraged by US alliance, New Delhi has adopted the modus operandi against smaller and weaker neighbours in exactly the identical way the United States did on Afghanistan and Iraq prior to attack on these countries.
New Delhi fought wars with China and Pakistan. China is, too, powerful, for India to meddle in. It has been effortful in destabilizing and weakening Pakistan so that India would be the only power in South Asia. India and Pakistan are virtually on red alert. Bangladesh was created out of Pakistan with support from India. But India and Bangladesh, too, are not in friendly terms and there are many issues that have strained the relations of these two nations. Sri Lanka is also not happy with India as its long ethnic conflict that virtually devastated the island nation had link with Indian conspiracy.
Nepal is the worst victim of New Delhi's hegemonic and expansionist policy. India's long-held design is to bring Nepal under its security ambit. New Delhi's long-term security goal is to bring Nepal and Bhutan under its control, which was clearly spelled out in India's security and foreign policy. According to India's foreign policy and security doctrine prepared soon after independence in 1947, New Delhi planned to bring Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim into Indian union by 2015. It succeeded to invade and annex Sikkim in 1975 through a well orchestrated political drama. New Delhi has also controlled Bhutan's security and foreign policy virtually rendering the Himalayan kingdom into India's protectorate. Nepal is the India's next target. India is trying to bring Nepal under its security and political ambit through coercive method and conspiracy. The present meddling in Nepal's affairs is a glaring instance of India's strategy.
South Asia is the priority zone of India's foreign policy in which Nepal is on the top bill. In Nepal, India's three strategies are at work simultaneously. The first is the Fiji process under which India is heavily encouraging Indian nationals to settle in Nepal and seek Nepali citizenship as early as possible so that within a few years people of Indian origin would outnumber the original Nepali people. This process is concentrated more in Terai. The second strategy is the process of Bhutanization through which India wants to control Nepal's security and foreign policy. For this, India has exerted pressure and used various tactics to make Nepal accept India's suzerainty. The third strategy is to annex Nepal by trick or force as it did in Sikkim in 1975.
India's foreign policy in general and South Asia policy in particular is based on Kautilya's theory. Kautilya's treatise of diplomacy and war emphasizes on acquiring influence by use of force—both soft and hard power. Kautilya's so-called Mandala theory of foreign policy states: 'the immediate neighbours are considered as enemies, but any state on the other side of a neighboring state is regarded as an ally, or, the enemy of my enemy is my friend'.
Kautilya believed that diplomacy was just another weapon used in the prolonged warfare that was always either occurring or being planned for, which the modern India has followed in letter and spirit when it comes to the relationship with its neighbours. Some foreign policy critics have gone one step ahead to term India's neighbourhood policy as being guided by colonial mentality. The 'use of force', 'divide and rule' policy and the 'doctrine of laps' that British rulers had applied to take control over South Asia are also the bases of modern and independent India's foreign policy especially with its smaller and weaker neighbours.
Indian policy with its small neighbours has always been hawkish and hegemonic. As a result, India's relationship with all neighbours is characterized by suspicion and fear. Indian policy is more hawkish and hegemonic after the end of the cold war. During the cold war, there was a balance of power in South Asia as the United States had allied with Pakistan, which had helped in keeping tab on Indian's hegemonic design. The end of the Cold War saw a marked shift in America's South Asia policy. The United States guided by economic interests and objective of containing China tilted its policy towards India. America started looking at things in South Asia through Indian eyes. India has taken the American policy shift as an endorsement of its hegemonic policy in South Asia, which has made New Delhi more hawkish whereas small South Asian countries have felt vulnerable from security point of view. Encouraged by US alliance, New Delhi has adopted the modus operandi against smaller and weaker neighbours in exactly the identical way the United States did on Afghanistan and Iraq prior to attack on these countries.
New Delhi fought wars with China and Pakistan. China is, too, powerful, for India to meddle in. It has been effortful in destabilizing and weakening Pakistan so that India would be the only power in South Asia. India and Pakistan are virtually on red alert. Bangladesh was created out of Pakistan with support from India. But India and Bangladesh, too, are not in friendly terms and there are many issues that have strained the relations of these two nations. Sri Lanka is also not happy with India as its long ethnic conflict that virtually devastated the island nation had link with Indian conspiracy.
Nepal is the worst victim of New Delhi's hegemonic and expansionist policy. India's long-held design is to bring Nepal under its security ambit. New Delhi's long-term security goal is to bring Nepal and Bhutan under its control, which was clearly spelled out in India's security and foreign policy. According to India's foreign policy and security doctrine prepared soon after independence in 1947, New Delhi planned to bring Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim into Indian union by 2015. It succeeded to invade and annex Sikkim in 1975 through a well orchestrated political drama. New Delhi has also controlled Bhutan's security and foreign policy virtually rendering the Himalayan kingdom into India's protectorate. Nepal is the India's next target. India is trying to bring Nepal under its security and political ambit through coercive method and conspiracy. The present meddling in Nepal's affairs is a glaring instance of India's strategy.
South Asia is the priority zone of India's foreign policy in which Nepal is on the top bill. In Nepal, India's three strategies are at work simultaneously. The first is the Fiji process under which India is heavily encouraging Indian nationals to settle in Nepal and seek Nepali citizenship as early as possible so that within a few years people of Indian origin would outnumber the original Nepali people. This process is concentrated more in Terai. The second strategy is the process of Bhutanization through which India wants to control Nepal's security and foreign policy. For this, India has exerted pressure and used various tactics to make Nepal accept India's suzerainty. The third strategy is to annex Nepal by trick or force as it did in Sikkim in 1975.
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