Article Analysis - Theatre of the Absurd

Theatre of the Absurd

Summary

This article by Sushant Singh, titled "Theatre of the Absurd," highlights the complexities and inadequacies in India's strategy against China. The piece discusses the prolonged stand-offs and diplomatic engagements between India, China, and Bhutan since the 2017 Doklam crisis, emphasizing the military and economic strides China has made in Bhutan. Despite attempts by Indian leaders to reset relations through summits and diplomatic talks, China's influence in the region continues to grow, showcased by its deepening ties with Bhutan and continuous border infrastructures. The Indian government's responses are critiqued for lacking coherence and effectiveness, leading to India's increased reliance on external powers like the United States for strategic balance. This narrative portrays India's struggle to maintain leverage over China amidst global and regional power dynamics, suggesting a scenario where India's geopolitical strategies are marred by inconsistencies and reactive measures rather than proactive planning.

Comments

The Indian establishment lacks that combination of hawkishness and competence that is necessary to deal with a bigger adversary.

The BJP drumbeats about nationalism. But they really aren't very good at policy or administration. They're unwilling to push any of the levers at their disposal. They claim to ban a handful of Chinese companies but Chinese consumer goods like the Insta360 cameras and Coros watches, and MG Hector cars continue to be sold in large numbers in India. They don't consistently implement their own policy.

They do absolutely nothing about Tibet. About Xinjiang. About Taiwan. There are a lot of buttons they're not pushing, largely because they don't know the game. They don't know and are not prepared to deal with the some of the potentially unpleasant outcomes of pushing these buttons. There's a cost benefit analysis to everything. They're not savvy enough to play the game. They just want to be left alone to do their growth and development thing. So the Chinese have their way with them.

Modi and his right-hand man Shah are people from Gujarat. They're largely a very pacifist community of (financially astute) traders and businessmen. They get riled up only about Islam. Too myopic to comprehend the world outside their borders. Ladakh is too far away for most Indians.

The Indian civil service is too hobbled by bureaucracy and sycophancy from the Congress days. It actively penalised initiative and originality. The foreign ministry lacks awareness or understanding of any complex plays and geopolitics. Their bread and butter since independence was the refrain about Pakistan. It'll take a couple more generations for them to get a grip on things. Until then China will probably have a few more slices of spicy Indian salami.

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