Foreign Policy in Shambles
Prakash Karat
THE infamy that the Modi government’s foreign policy has earned in the recent period, is something that cannot be understated. On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution moved by Spain calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution accused Israel of using “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”. Of the 193 member states, 149 voted for the resolution, 12 opposed while 19 abstained. India did not vote for the resolution, but abstained.
This was the most shameful stance given that the urgency for a ceasefire was glaringly evident in the background of the continuing genocidal war by Israel on Gaza and the weapon of mass starvation inflicted on 2 million people. India’s justification for the abstention vote was lame and deceitful – that “durable peace can only emerge through direct negotiations”. Deceitful because it was Israel which had broken the last ceasefire and imposed a total blockade on all supplies into Gaza. The abstention in the vote was contrary to the stand India had taken six months ago, in December 2024, when a resolution calling for ceasefire in the UN General Assembly was adopted, in which India voted for the resolution. India and Timor-Leste were the only two Asian countries to abstain. All other Asian countries voted for the resolution, even staunch allies of the United States like Japan and South Korea.
The Modi government has been emboldened to come out with a clearer pro-Israeli stance in the wake of President Trump’s full support to Netanyahu’s plan to obliterate the Palestinians. The Trump administration has also indicated that it does not support the two state solution anymore. The slavish attitude of aligning with Trump at all cost has led to the complete abandonment of India’s principled support to the Palestinian cause and siding with the colonialist-genocidal policies of the Israeli regime.
That the foreign policy has been mortgaged to the US-Israeli axis became evident once again when India distanced itself from the statement issued by the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), on June 14, which condemned the Israeli military attacks on Iran calling it a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. The Indian government was quick to announce that it was not consulted while issuing the statement. Even the fact that Iran is a fellow member of the SCO and was subjected to aggression did not weigh with the government. On its part, the Modi government did not criticise or condemn Israel’s military aggression against Iran, a friendly country with whom India has a strategic partnership.This stand can be contrasted with the response of Japan which is a close ally of the United States and a member of the QUAD. The Japanese government strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Iran calling it a flagrant violation of international law and Iran’s sovereignty.
When the United States bombed the three nuclear installations in Iran on June 22, in blatant violation of all international laws and norms, India kept silent. Prime Minister Modi, in a telephone call to the Iranian President expressed concern and called for de-escalation. This was an advice to the victim of aggression, not to take any steps to defend oneself.
In the BRICS Leaders Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Modi in his speech avoided any criticism of the Israeli attack on Iran and the US bombing of its nuclear sites. But the joint statement issued by the Summit roundly condemned the aggression on Iran. Obviously, the ten other member countries of BRICS do not share India’s views on the matter.
The further rightward lurch in foreign policy stems from the eagerness to curry favour with President Trump and to appease his outrageous demands. The Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in Washington on July 1, came out with a sharper focus on China as a security threat and to counter its growing economic clout. India is bent upon ensuring that Trump attends the Quad Leaders’ Summit to be held in Delhi, later this year.
India has also to come to terms with Trump’s demands on the trade and tariff front. Here again, the Modi government is unable to take a firm stand. All indications are that India was prepared to make major concessions to ensure that the interim trade deal is finalised before the July 9 deadline, when the 90 days pause in reciprocal tariffs announced by Trump is due to end. However, the negotiations held so far could not lead to a satisfactory conclusion.
That India’s foreign policy is in shambles has become clear in the post ‘Operation Sindoor’ period. Trump has succeeded in hyphenating India and Pakistan, and presenting the United States as the arbiter in India-Pakistan relations.
At the root of the fiasco lies the Modi regime’s determined pursuit to cement its junior partnership with the United States. A renewed ten year defence framework agreement is to be signed when the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is to next meet his American counterpart. Already India had committed to buy US military equipment on a large scale during Modi’s visit to Washington in February. The US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, once again in June, expressed unhappiness about India buying weapons from Russia but added significantly that these concerns have been addressed and that “India is starting to move towards buying military equipment from the United States”.
What all this amounts to is a surrender of India’s vital interests, whether it pertains to economic sovereignty, foreign policy or strategic autonomy.
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