Society for Policy Studies in collaboration with India Habitat Centre held a Round Table on Review of PM’s Three Nation Foreign Visit led by an expert panel comprising Mr. Jayant Prasad, former Ambassador; Admiral Arun Prakash, former Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy; Ms.Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic & Strategic Affairs editor, The Hindu
Venue: Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre
Summary of the Round Table
Society for Policy Studies in collaboration with the Indian Habitat Centre organized a Round Table on “Review of the Prime Minister’s three country visit to France, Germany and Canada.” The panel comprised of former Ambassador Jayant Prasad, former chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash and Ms. Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic and Strategic affairs editor, The Hindu.
Ambassador Jayant Prasad noted that the substance of the new government’s foreign and security Policy’ remains more or less the same as the previous one while there is a marked difference in the style in which the Prime Minister conducts it. There is greater activism in maintaining bilateral dialogue and greater political engagement at the highest level. The Modi government is keen on advancing the comprehensive national power of the country through emphasis on technology, investments and better defense preparedness.
The Rafale deal fills a long void. The deal is criticized because it is inimical to the Make in India initiative. France has however been a strategic partner and has been instrumental in engaging with India post the 1998 nuclear tests. On Canada, he pointed out that the Indo- Canadian relationship is second only to the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth. The country became an emblem of the West’ disenchantment with India post 1998. There has been significant collaboration on nuclear Safety Standards between the two countries. India’s agreement to buy 3000 tons of uranium is vital to the energy needs of India. On Germany, Amb. Prasad noted that the relationship with Germany is vital because it is the fulcrum of the European Union. Germany is heavily invested in China and that more engagement from the Indian side was required.
Admiral Arun Prakash remarked that we have the makings of a grand strategy under the Modi administration. He pointed out that it is too early to make a comment on the deal and the Inter-governmental agreement will spell out the details of the project. It remains to be seen how the French will deliver 36 aircrafts within a span of two years. From the Air Force perspective he pointed out that there has been a high attrition rate of its operational fighter aircraft fleet. The fact that both Pakistan and China have been increasing their fleet needs to be taken into consideration. The time period that has taken this deal to reach this stage has also been long, with over 10 years in review and 3 years to conclude. The issue of budget support is also vital, if one deal is going to cost about half of the national defence budget, the viability of such deals will be called into question.
National Security should be the prerogative of the government of the day. There has been no clear mechanism set up in India so far for its implementation. There is a need for bureaucrats with domain knowledge and a lifetime experience in defence and a Chief of Defence staff to coordinate activities with the Ministry of Defence. There is merit in Indigenization and the make in India programme with respect to defence equipment. The Chinese retained knowledge of Russian equipment from their early partnership with the Soviets which has led them to become the third largest exporter of arms while India still remains the largest importer of arms in the world. Soviet equipment was excellent, cheap and well supported but after the Soviet Union fell apart, the Russian arms industry has dislocated. It no longer supports wear and tear, which has to be taken into consideration while buying new equipment.
Ms. Suhasini Haidar noted that there is a cultural affinity to the Indo-Canadian relationship because both have been stable democracies and are diverse. She observed that there is an element of Shock & Awe in the conduct of the foreign policy under the Modi administration, to which Canada was an exception. The nuclear deal with Canada has also been instrumental in setting the price for uranium in the world. There was no problem of a national clause or a liability clause with Canada which has made the deal upfront and clean.
Relationship between India and Canada had been frosty for a long time because of two reasons. One because India felt that Canada had reacted unfairly over 1998 tests and second , that it thought that Canada was a safe haven for terrorists of the Khalistan movement and the LTTE; bilateral trade has suffered as a result of it. Air Canada’s direct flight proposal is a welcome development.