(Dr Pentapati Pullarao)
Indians might have been surprised how a friendly US President Donald trump suddenly became a hostile personality. But that is not at all un-usual. There is no such thing as a permanent friend or enemy in politics or foreign affairs.
Nehru also betrayed by foreign friends: Our first Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru learnt hard lessons from the Chinese and Pakistanis. Nehru assumed that since India followed a neutral policy and was peaceful that China and Pakistan would reciprocate. Nehru in fact gave away India’s United nations Security Council seat to China, which has caused lasting damage to India. But both China and Pakistan betrayed Nehru and India and their toxic enmity continues to this day.
Nehru thought that the Chinese leaders who were known to him before they grabbed power in China would never attack India, as they were personally known to him and he was a very tall world leader. But the Chinese leaders attacked India and Nehru felt betrayed and lost his stature.
Similarly, Nehru signed the famous Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan in 1960, by going personally to Pakistan. Nehru said India was giving Pakistan 3 rivers and wanted peace. Within 5 years, in 1965, Pakistan attacked India in 1965.
Nehru should have remembered 2 golden rules of politics:
Rule 1: The great British Prime Minister Lord Palmerstone of Britain said nearly 200 years ago that “Nations have no permanent friends or enemies. Only permanent interests “.
Rule 2: Another great British prime Minister Harold Wilson said: “A week is a long time in politics “.
Obviously, Nehru, a great historian himself, ignored what Lord Palmerstone said and India suffered. defeat and shame at hands of China and eternal war with Pakistan. There are no such things as personal friendship with foreign leaders.
Hard lessons for Narendra Modi:
Narendra Modi has been an extra-ordinary prime minister and done well in foreign relations and defense of India. However, like all leaders, Modi, like Nehru, thought that he had developed “personal relations “with foreign leaders.
Modi has forgotten that foreign leaders are your friends as long as you are prime Minister. Like Nehru thought about China and Pakistan, Modi might have thought that US president Donald Trump values political l friendship. But now, India finds that we have a very difficult and complicated relationship with USA, due to Donald Trump. It is not really Modi’s fault. That is the way international relations work.
- Donald Trump has behaved in the same un-predictable manner with other great allies of USA. The USA has ignored NATO, which is the heart of Europe and American relations since 1945. Now NATO has become weak due to trump’s attitude.
- The USA has been an ally for South Korea and Japan since 1945 and has troops there. Yet, Trump has ill-treated these 2 countries and ignored their relationship.
- The fact that Trump has turned against India is not a surprise. It is problem which can be handled, and time will solve it. But Modi should have understood that all such friendships are weaker than paper. Like Nehru was shocked by China, Modi has got a shock from Trump.
- Why is Trump encouraging Pakistan?
India should understand that each country will have its own relations with other nations. We cannot object USA having good relations with Pakistan.
- It is possible that Pakistan has told President Trump that they are very close to China and that they can act as mediators between him and China president Xi Jinping. It Is most certain that right now Pakistan is mediating quietly between China and Trump. In fact, in 1971, it was Pakistan that brought the USA and China together.
- It is also very likely that Qatar pressed Trump to be close to Pakistan. Pakistan has openly said that they have developed business relations with Trump.
Did India handle Trump wrongly?
Mistakes are made by all countries, and India might have not properly handled Trump, who kept claiming he brought peace between India and Pakistan.
There are many opinions on whether we should give Trump credit. But to my mind, the skies would not have fallen if India said Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for Peace.
There is no doubt that our foreign ministry did not anticipate that President Trump would keep on harping about India. Obviously, Trump expected that Modi was his friend and wads disappointing him. Maybe Trump should have remembered Lord Palmerstone that there are no friends between countries.
Whatever it is, Trump is a most powerful man, and this small issue has set us back.
In time, India will have normal relations with USA. For some time, there might be a stormy sea. But most countries can manage storms.
India should focus on the economy:
I heard late prime Minister Manmohan Singh say: If India registers 10% annual growth, every country will be India’s friends”. Dr. Singh meant that the rich will not have enemies.
Focus on the economy and India’s foreign problems will vanish
(Author is a Political Analyst)