Some things to Reconsider

 When the history of Indian diplomacy under Narendra Modi is eventually written, it may be remembered not for its strategic breakthroughs, but for its theatrical excesses, its silences in moments of crisis, and its worrying penchant for personalisation over institutional prudence. Modi’s foreign policy, by design, was never meant to be quiet or cautious. From the grand gestures of “Namaste Trump” to his surprise visits to Pakistan, it has been high on drama and low on deliverables. It has sought headlines, not long-term relationships. Unfortunately, in foreign affairs, style without substance often invites consequences. Let us begin closer home. In 2015, when a devastating earthquake struck Nepal, India was the first responder. This was an admirable and expected act by a regional power. However, what could have been a reaffirmation of India’s neighbourhood leadership quickly descended into a public relations disaster. Kathmandu’s citizens and civil society accused India of using ...

  https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/dc-comment/dc-edit-work-closely-with-canada-to-tackle-khalistan-threat-1886553 The Deccan Chronicle editorial calling for closer cooperation between India and Canada to tackle the so-called “Khalistan threat” is a textbook example of "locking yourself in a burning house to escape a mosquito". It is an editorial soaked in security-state talking points, and utterly blind to the far more pressing threats confronting India’s foreign and domestic policy. And while we’re at it, it’s time someone called out the Modi government’s real failing: not in what it obsesses about, but in what it consciously chooses to ignore. Let’s begin with the most uncomfortable, but essential, truth: the ghost of Khalistan is more a product of political theatre than geopolitical reality. In this regard, Narendra Modi bears uncanny similarities to another strong-willed Indian leader Indira Gandhi,  men and women cut from different ideological cloths but sewn i...