Periscope india should break away from its ‘permanent poll mode’

Periscope india should break away from its ‘permanent poll mode’

As expected the BJP won the recent state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shifted focus to the forthcoming elections in the Northeast. Given that numerous other critical matters involving national security need the urgent attention of our tireless Prime Minister, it is perhaps time that both the Central and state elections are held either simultaneously or almost simultaneously. As the world is moving closer to possibility of war in the Korean peninsula, and China has permanently based 1,800 troops in Doklam, India apparently remains in near-permanent election mode. In the meantime, President Donald Trump has announced a new National Security Strategy (NSS) on December 18 to deal with the emerging threats, while our time-tested strategic partner Russia is increasingly aligning with China to confront the United States. To add fuel to the fire, the Pakistani national security adviser has recently stated that “a nuclear war in South Asia cannot be ruled out”. This article seeks to show what new threats have now emerged, along with two frequently used phrases by the media and the strategic community — “Thucydides Trap” and “sharp power”.

First, President Trump’s NSS 2017 recognises the challenges to the US from China, Russia, emphasises the importance of a strong military, proactive homeland defence against terror and missile attacks, envisions a radical upgrade in US industrial base, largescale support for scientific and technical education and rebuilding of infrastructure in response to China’s economic and strategic challenge. Other details include retaliation against “economic aggression” by states who exploit free trade selectively, and embracing “emergency dominance” by removing restrictions on shale oil exploitation and nuclear energy, a new system of alliances centring on Japan and India to counter China’s economic diplomacy in Asia. And finally, the NSS recognises India as an emerging global power while portraying China and Pakistan as antithetical to US interests. Thucydides was an Athenian (Greek) general and historian of fifth century BC, when he wrote: “What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.” In the 1970s, American political scientist Professor Graham Tillett Allison, Jr. coined the phrase “Thucydides Trap” to refer to “when a rising power (China) causes fear in an established power (the US), which escalates towards war”.

Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle