Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on India’s SCO membership, titled ‘India Has More Hoops to Jump for SCO Membership’, was published in ‘The Wire’ on June 22, 2016.
India cannot be taking other than a cooperative position if it wants to genuinely exploit opportunities that SCO processes may offer. Any policy on connectivity underpinned by a spirit of rivalry will make India an odd one out.
In an ominous way the Dalai Lama recently threatened to terminate the over 400-year-old spiritual lineage of his position, saying that Tibetans no longer require the authority of the Dalai Lama and it would be a shame if a ‘weak’ person succeeded him.
In 2011, he also gave up his political authority in favour of an elected leader among Tibetans living in exile. Seemingly, the motive for these measures was to forestall any alternative plan by Beijing to appoint a successor after him and challenge the authority of such an appointment if Beijing does so.
India’s objective lies not in offsetting the interests of either the US or China but to walk towards its own destiny of serving humanity and global peace.
It is time to bring together the interests of the Indian and Chinese governments toward seeking the common goal of saving the Himalayas and the people living in the region.
India needs to start thinking about seeking a greater transformation in China from authoritarianism to embrace the culture of Buddhism and the impact such a change may entail for enduring relations between India and China.
India was always aware of the enormous energy reserves within its geographically proximate Central Asian region that could potentially fulfil its energy demands. The recent visit by Prime Minister Modi to the region has proved critical in paving the way for India to finally acquire a long awaited energy stake in the region. The new developments could not have been possible without the evolving undercurrents of the new geopolitical balance of power in the region. Russia seems to be playing a conspicuous role in nudging both India and Pakistan towards cooperation in the energy pipeline.
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia, titled ‘Indian PM Arrives in Moscow Today - What to Expect’ was published in Russia Insider on December 23, 2015.
Genghis Khan and India-Mongolia Relations
It would be befitting to dedicate the 60th Anniversary of Indo-Mongolian Diplomatic Relations this year to the great Asian hero Genghis Khan.