India’s Foreign Policy Priorities: Once Again Overshadowed by Domestic Politics?

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Background

India should be closely following some important recent developments in its neighbourhood. The first is in Pakistan, with the departure of President Zardari for medical treatment overseas. The second is in Burma, where the United States’ overtures could have implications for India’s involvement in that country. But the government’s attention looks increasingly likely to be distracted by internal wrangles.

Comment

In Pakistan, President Zardari, who is supposed to have left the country for medical treatment, is not returning home. The civil-military divide seems to have widened, with some even talking of a change of leadership at the behest of the Pakistani military. While the ruling Pakistan People’s Party has made it clear that Zardari has left Pakistan only for medical treatment, the fact that he first went to Dubai and then on to the UK, is a bit strange. It remains to be seen what impact these developments will have on the Indo-Pakistani peace process, which has been gaining momentum of late.

In Burma, the US is now playing a more pro-active role and is considering the removal of sanctions. With Burma emerging as the new battle ground between China and the rest, it is important for India to keep an eye on what goes on there.

Once again, however, India’s foreign policy priorities in the region are likely to be relegated to the sidelines, as a consequence of some important internal political challenges which the government has been dealing with.

First, the ruling UPA Government could not push through the proposal to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment in the Indian retail sector. The proposal was opposed tooth and nail by the opposition BJP and some of its own coalition partners, such as the Trinamool Congress. As a consequence, Parliament was suspended. The government had to relent, giving in to political expediency; it probably realised that it was the wrong time to push such a proposal. The decision to backtrack, after so much talk about the virtues of the foreign investment proposal, has not sent the correct signals, either domestically or internationally, and, especially, to external business players.

Just as the government meekly gave up on the foreign direct investment reform, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal embroiled himself and his government in yet another controversy. He stated that content on social media websites should be supervised, as it may hurt the religious sentiments of certain communities. Sibal’s proposal has drawn flak internally, and even externally, as India’s main strength is its freedom of speech and expression. The controversy will not die down easily and will require damage control.

In yet another embarrassment for the government, on 9 December the Opposition forced the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament, after repeatedly disrupting the proceedings by demanding the resignation of External Affairs Minister, S.M. Krishna, for his alleged role in a mining scam in Karnataka during his tenure as the Chief Minister. The dapper 79 year old is known for not being too assertive and was picked for that reason. It is a known fact that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself has emphasised India’s strategy of greater engagement with its neighbours and other important countries. But officially, of course, it is the External Affairs Ministry, under the aegis of the Minister, which implements policies emanating from the Prime Minister’s office. With days, or even weeks, likely to be wasted in the debate over whether Krishna should resign or not, one can safely assume that the External Affairs Ministry will be embroiled in dealing with domestic issues.

With the UPA Government busy fighting domestic political battles, India’s foreign policy priorities will yet again be overshadowed by domestic politics. While Dr Singh has been trying to de-link his foreign policy objectives from domestic political challenges, sometimes there is no escape from William Gladstone’s first principle of foreign policy: ‘good government at home’.

Tridivesh Maini

FDI Associate

About the Author: Mr Maini is an Associate Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi and is one of the editors of ‘Warriors after War: Indian and Pakistani Retired Military Leaders Reflect on Relations between the Two Countries, Past, Present and Future’, (Peter Lang, 2011).

Any opinions or views expressed in this paper are those of the individual author, unless stated to be those of Future Directions International.

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