Foerign p;olicy lessons through animals
Let Pakistan remain the most favoured pet (MFP)
After 9/11, the US has been performing the balancing act in the region with great astuteness. The US deftly tilts the balance some time in Pakistan’s favour and some time in India ‘s favour, by rebuking both (India and Pakistan) and annoying none. The constant fluctuations in the US stance have prevented the Indian strategists from drawing a clear-cut strategy to deal with the US.
Ever since the end of the cold war and the non-aligned movement going well nigh defunct, India has been trying to grapple with the vexing question of, how to deal with the USA in a predominantly unipolar world?
In view of the recent developments this question has acquired added significance. Because, developing robust military ties with America is a watershed event in history of Indian foreign policy. Although, India has the past experience of military ties with a major power. However, the terms and conditions of a military tie-up in a unipolar world are at great variance from that of the bi-polar world. How our relationship evolves with United States only time will tell. But, how we behave in our negotiations with the sole super in the world is of crucial importance at this stage. Towards this end our experts, in addition to following the foreign policy doctrines could also enlighten themselves by studying the history of animal kingdom.
Millions of years ago, man established his hegemony over other forms of life. The two small and insignificant members of the animal kingdom were the first to comprehend these developments in the jungle politics. The forefathers of cats and dogs correctly understood the human power. The two animals developed a symbiotic relationship with the human beings to survive the fast changing environment.
The approach, which the two animals adopted for being accepted as human pets, was uniquely different. The dog which is the bigger and taller of the two animals bent itself backward to fit into the human fold. It completely dissolved its identity and started following the dictates of its master without ever complaining. Despite, the occasional flogging it received from its master, the canine continued to serve with unflinching servility and followed his master who always kept him under leash. It wagged its tail to receive two square meals, and became absolutely dependent on man.
On the other hand, the cat had a different strategy to come closer to the human beings. It preserved its sovereignty, without loosing any of the inherited from its big brother Lion. Unlike, the dog, the cat, mainly used its charm to entice the humans to feed it. Despite being hated and considered a bad omen by few humans, the cat continued to enjoy the privileges of a pet and roam the human streets in its typical gait without any fear. Thus the two animals using their distinct methods were able to make inroads into the human habitat and ensured their permanent space in the human kingdom. I have chosen to mention the story of transition of cats and dogs form animal kingdom to human kingdom, mainly because there are a lot of hidden lessons for strategists.
Take for example Pakistan, it is an ardent follower of 'Dog diplomacy' (DD). It blatantly relies on its shouting (On Kashmir) skills to woo America. It has ditched its own brother the Taliban and its own people to follow its master. It continues to wag its tail for free aid to feed its ailing economy and keeps demanding a few crumbs in the form of arms and ammunition to prevent itself from being extinct. The USA had earlier left Pakistan to fend for itself, but soon the US found that stray Pakistan had started biting people and was more of a menace. It has once again given her the status of a US watchdog in the South Asian region.
India, on the other hand is a large and powerful nation with an agenda and philosophy of her own. We need not design our diplomacy and post cold war strategy based on DD. We should neither be unduly perturbed about the developing US-Pak nexus nor should we endeavor to replace Pakistan from the most favored pet (MFP) position in the US list. We need to evolve 'Cat diplomacy' (CD). Because following CD in spirit, we can come closer to the west without threatening our sovereignty. We have already enhanced our charm through IT, naval power and economy, and should continue to wage war against the mice like terrorists without causing any undue alarm and noise. Finally, in a cat like fashion, we can allow ourselves to be cuddled by the big powers but without giving up our ferocity.
After 9/11, the US has been performing the balancing act in the region with great astuteness. The US deftly tilts the balance some time in Pakistan’s favour and some time in India ‘s favour, by rebuking both (India and Pakistan) and annoying none. The constant fluctuations in the US stance have prevented the Indian strategists from drawing a clear-cut strategy to deal with the US.
Ever since the end of the cold war and the non-aligned movement going well nigh defunct, India has been trying to grapple with the vexing question of, how to deal with the USA in a predominantly unipolar world?
In view of the recent developments this question has acquired added significance. Because, developing robust military ties with America is a watershed event in history of Indian foreign policy. Although, India has the past experience of military ties with a major power. However, the terms and conditions of a military tie-up in a unipolar world are at great variance from that of the bi-polar world. How our relationship evolves with United States only time will tell. But, how we behave in our negotiations with the sole super in the world is of crucial importance at this stage. Towards this end our experts, in addition to following the foreign policy doctrines could also enlighten themselves by studying the history of animal kingdom.
Millions of years ago, man established his hegemony over other forms of life. The two small and insignificant members of the animal kingdom were the first to comprehend these developments in the jungle politics. The forefathers of cats and dogs correctly understood the human power. The two animals developed a symbiotic relationship with the human beings to survive the fast changing environment.
The approach, which the two animals adopted for being accepted as human pets, was uniquely different. The dog which is the bigger and taller of the two animals bent itself backward to fit into the human fold. It completely dissolved its identity and started following the dictates of its master without ever complaining. Despite, the occasional flogging it received from its master, the canine continued to serve with unflinching servility and followed his master who always kept him under leash. It wagged its tail to receive two square meals, and became absolutely dependent on man.
On the other hand, the cat had a different strategy to come closer to the human beings. It preserved its sovereignty, without loosing any of the inherited from its big brother Lion. Unlike, the dog, the cat, mainly used its charm to entice the humans to feed it. Despite being hated and considered a bad omen by few humans, the cat continued to enjoy the privileges of a pet and roam the human streets in its typical gait without any fear. Thus the two animals using their distinct methods were able to make inroads into the human habitat and ensured their permanent space in the human kingdom. I have chosen to mention the story of transition of cats and dogs form animal kingdom to human kingdom, mainly because there are a lot of hidden lessons for strategists.
Take for example Pakistan, it is an ardent follower of 'Dog diplomacy' (DD). It blatantly relies on its shouting (On Kashmir) skills to woo America. It has ditched its own brother the Taliban and its own people to follow its master. It continues to wag its tail for free aid to feed its ailing economy and keeps demanding a few crumbs in the form of arms and ammunition to prevent itself from being extinct. The USA had earlier left Pakistan to fend for itself, but soon the US found that stray Pakistan had started biting people and was more of a menace. It has once again given her the status of a US watchdog in the South Asian region.
India, on the other hand is a large and powerful nation with an agenda and philosophy of her own. We need not design our diplomacy and post cold war strategy based on DD. We should neither be unduly perturbed about the developing US-Pak nexus nor should we endeavor to replace Pakistan from the most favored pet (MFP) position in the US list. We need to evolve 'Cat diplomacy' (CD). Because following CD in spirit, we can come closer to the west without threatening our sovereignty. We have already enhanced our charm through IT, naval power and economy, and should continue to wage war against the mice like terrorists without causing any undue alarm and noise. Finally, in a cat like fashion, we can allow ourselves to be cuddled by the big powers but without giving up our ferocity.
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