Rebooting india music for xi's ears

Rebooting india music for xi's ears

Democracies are making themselves ridiculous, India figures but is not on top of the league tables.
Xi Jinping rarely smiles in public. But smile he must these past six months as he wakes to the sight of the world's ridiculous, floundering democracies.
Let's begin with the world's most ridiculous democracy. No, not India, though we figure in the league tables. I mean the United States. When Xi looks at the US, he sees a new president who heads the list of own goal scorers. In a matter of days since ascending the throne, Trump has got himself into a fight with one of America's biggest and most consequential neighbour, Mexico. The trade and immigration war that is brewing will certainly hurt Mexico economically, but it will also badly hurt the US economy. On top of it, a hurting Mexico will be a social and political disaster for America. At one stroke, the US is undermining its greatest strategic asset ¬ stability in its own region.
The second most ridiculous democracy is the UK. David Cameron's referendum on Europe was a disaster ¬ the decision to hold it as well as the campaign he mounted in defence of EU membership. His successor, Theresa May, is arguably the most colourless British prime minister since Alec Douglas-Home in the 1960s (and perhaps fated to last as long ¬ two years). Both Cameron and May were a joke during the referendum campaign, with May simply disappearing from political sight. She is now busy genuflecting before Trump, showing that she is no Thatcher-style Iron Lady at all but a Marshmallow Lady instead.
Xi must be slapping his inner thigh in merriment. Here are the two self-styled leaders of the West trying their best to disunite the Western alliance. Trump has mocked NATO, laughed at the EU, and, if we include Japan in the West, poked Tokyo in the eye as well. Music to Xi's ears! Cameron and May meanwhile have pulled a key state out of Europe and have spread EU disaffection to other European states. More music to Xi's ears! On top of that, Trump and his ilk are sucking up to Putin of Russia as part of some bizarre white nationalist Christian united front! Then there is Japan. Prime Minister Abe and the right have simply not understood how much political damage is caused by their visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. The visits sully Japan's image in Southeast Asia and are an affront not just to China but also to South Korea and Southeast Asia. It is not just the act of visiting the shrine to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers that offends. It is the shocking display at the museum there which blames everyone except Japan for World War II. The US played its part in bringing war, but Tokyo and the Japanese militarists bear chief responsibility, and Japanese leaders (and textbooks) refuse to acknowledge this unequivocally.
Finally, Xi must be rubbing his hands gleefully at India's missteps. Having once again obsessed over corruption, India has managed to reduce economic growth from a respectable 7.6% to a projected 6.6%. By the time we get the final figures, growth could be even lower. Nor is anyone suggesting, three months on, that demonetisation did anything to reduce corruption. Apparently, the move was always about ushering in a cashless society and not really about corruption! Nothing happened to reduce corruption after the Anna Hazare movement, and nothing much has been achieved with demonetisation. Tackling corruption requires patience ¬ not a strong feature of the Modi government.
Xi must also be chuckling over the domestic political mess in the US, UK and India. Never has the stock of democracy been lower than it is now in all three countries. By contrast, internal support for Xi's government is high.Externally, as the Anglo-American powers recede from global engagement, and as New Delhi, after a bright start under Modi, has faded into a black hole obsession with China and Pakistan, Beijing is spreading its largesse and light.
The world is laughing and scratching its head over the Anglo-American powers and has steadily lost interest in India over the past year, leaving the field open to China. Happy Chinese New Year indeed for Xi Jinping!