| Title of Document: |
India’s slippery moral high ground |
| Keywords: |
India freedom from colonial rule in 1947, India's foreign policy, indian diplomats |
| Author: |
Human Rights Watch |
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| Codex-Politics publication date: 02/03/2010 |
| Date of Original Publication: 02/03/2010 |
| Country: India |
Summary: Western colonialism collapsed after the Second World War, leaving much of the world in shambles, resources looted, and people suppressed and impoverished. As Indians know all too well, borders of newly independent states were often carelessly drawn, leading to violence that plagues us generations later. Those most affected by these decisions never had a voice at the high table. |
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Decades later, new faces have gathered at that crucial table. India, left traumatised and unable to fully celebrate its freedom from colonial rule in 1947 because millions had perished or been displaced, has become a visible and vocal negotiator.
In a recent instance, minister of state for environment Jairam Ramesh claimed that India played a constructive role in the climate change conference in December, as it could speak for the G-77, the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) group and the industrialised nations. Few agreed, sadly. Depending on their politics, critics either said India had been obstructive or that it compromised too much.
Unfortunately, much of India's foreign policy remains shrouded in a similar lack of clarity. India often ends up considered either an obstruction or a cop-out.
In Burma, for example, India has moved away from supporting the democracy movement and honouring detained Opposition leader Aung San Su Kyi to deciding that economic and security concerns take precedence. India's business-as-usual relations with the repressive military regime have been widely criticised. Indian diplomats respond that activists like to complain without understanding how nuanced diplomacy works.
by Meenakshi Ganguly, senior South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch
Published in: The Asian Age
FEBRUARY 3, 2010
Should you be interested in the full article, please see: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/02/03/india-s-slippery-moral-high-ground
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org
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