“There is Need to De-securitise the Strategic Narrative in our Neighbourhood”, Dr TCA Raghavan

KOCHI:
“In the context of the ranging pandemic, our neighbourhood policy must encompass non-security issues like public health, education & infrastructure beyond the traditional ambit of strategic thinking.”, said Dr TCA Raghavan, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and currently Director-General, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.

He was speaking at the 17th edition of CPPR Quarterly Lecture Series hosted by Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) on the topic ‘India and its Neighbourhood’ on August 22, 2020 (Saturday). Such de-securitisation is equally important in relationships with countries like Pakistan where an atmosphere of mistrust prevails. This process is already visible in the actual working of the govt policy and must be mirrored in the narrative that exists within our strategic fraternity.”

He stressed on the need to look at India’s neighbourhood extending from Aden to Malacca through two broad dimensions, continental and maritime. He also pointed to the contrast of the maritime neighbourhood in our east and west. In the Arabian Sea littoral, we see a situation of great stress in the gulf and in the dynamics of the Makran coast.

However, in Bay of Bengal, we see a much greater regional cooperation through mechanisms like ASEAN and BIMSTEC. This contrast needs to be addressed, especially considering the critical nature of our relationship with countries in gulf in terms of hydrocarbons and employment. He highlighted the narrative value of SAARC, even as its effectiveness as regional cooperation mechanism has been limited in comparison to ASEAN.

He said that the consolidation of China as a global hegemon poses certain fundamental conceptual issues for India. India’s neighbourhood policy has always insisted on keeping the great powers out of the region and applying our constitutional template to our neighbours. Now as the China factor looms large in our back yard, we will need to take a fresh and sensitive look into our neighbourhood policy.

He acknowledged the contribution of scholars and public figures from Kerala like V K Krishna Menon and K M Panikkar in conceptualisation of foreign policy, especially the maritime consciousness of independent India. Dr Lawrence Prabhakar Williams, Author & Professor of International Relations delivered the concluding remarks.