In India, as in most countries, foreign policy is the obsession of a few but the concern of many. In the second year of its second term, the United Progressive Alliance's overseas engagements elicit a sense of wariness. No surprise: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's priority is to redefine relations with Pakistan and China.
Pakistan, and the terrorist fallout of Islamabad's policies, easily overshad- ow all other concerns. A plurality of the Hindustan Times-CNN IBN expert panel expressed concern about the direction of Pakistan policy and "inabil- ity to control terrorism" was rated the third biggest overall failing of the UPA.
This is not the same as opposing dia- logue. It reflects a lack of confidence that New Delhi can handle a Pakistan marked by the traits of a failed state and a China wearing the trappings of a superpower-in-the-making. Asked to rate the best-performing ministries, the External Affairs Ministry received less than four per cent of the vote.
Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna's approval rating was similar to that of Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Singh, who has braved initial skep- ticism about economic reforms and the nuclear deal, is determined to pursue dialogue with Pakistan.
Encouraged by what he experienced in his talks with Pervez Musharraf, Singh sees going the extra mile with Islamabad a gamble worth taking. It won't be easy: the storm that followed the Sharm el Sheikh statement was a reminder of how thin-skinned even the prime minister's own party is about Pakistan, post-26/11.
The UPA has signalled that foreign policy, in this term, will not be about big bangs. It will be about small steps, tying up loose ends, the diplomacy of page 10 rather than headlines. Pakistan and China are obvious hard slogs. But even US relations is today about left- over bits of the nuclear deal and slow- ly building counterterror bridges.
Among the less noted foreign policy accomplishments is India's transfor- mation of its relations with smaller neighbours like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. "Compared to UPA I, the UPA II is yet to have a big ticket item on its agenda. A lot of attention is being paid towards the neighbourhood," says ex-foreign secretary, Salman Haidar.
The ministry likes to tout its Saudi extradition treaty and India's influen- tial role in the G-20.
But the lack of a big picture has led to a sense of an India slipping into passivity. This perception has been especially fed by Afghanistan where policies determining the future of a country strategically important to India seem to being made everywhere except New Delhi. It hasn't helped that South Block's public profile was largest when Shashi Tharoor's rep was at its lowest.
jayanth.jacob@hindustantimes.com
Source: Hindustan Times By Jayanth Jacob External Affairs Ministry: Think Local, Act Local, Regional Focus Gives Impression Of Indian Global Passivity
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