In India

Hillary’s overtures

International diplomacy, especially in the murky waters of troubled regions, is like being in a bomb disposal squad. Nothing is without context and consequence here; just one careless snip here could set off a tripwire that brings the whole thing down. For Hillary Clinton, to praise India’s not insignificant achievements as far as democracy is concerned, is just doing her job. The way she went about it, however, writes the copy of the hawkish Pakistani political parties’ pamphlets themselves.

You don’t tell India “its time to lead” the region regardless of what you actually mean by it. You don’t tell India to take a leadership role in the political progress of Pakistan and Afghanistan either.

It’s not just Pakistan (and other countries in the South Asian region) that are peeved off. The recent, symbolic overtures by the US towards India are also meant for a Chinese audience. Only recently did the White House entertain the Dalai Lama, becoming the first US presidential administration to do so.

For some time now, the sum of all fears of some within the Pakistani defence establishment was the American backing of India as a counterweight to China in the regional power matrix. These hawks are going to feel more than vindicated with statements of the sort.

We have seen the end, presumably, of times colonial. This isn’t the age of regional viceroys.

The powers Viceroys get are also invariably accompanied by a loss of sovereignty. For instance, Clinton telling India how to go about its relations in Burma is rather crass. If the US feels appalled at the Burmese junta’s human rights record (and it has every reason to be) it should express concern through its own diplomatic leverages, not by open appeals to other states.

It would do neither the US nor India any good to alienate other regional players. To the US: does it really want an embittered Pakistan and an irritated China? To India: Being a satellite state of the US hasn’t done anyone any good. Trust us, we should know.