S. Jaishankar
Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times by Getty Images
It was a little dizzy to keep pace with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's crazy diplomatic itinerary. The Foreign Secretary has visited Washington, D.C. three times since late December, Spain and the UAE for bilateral visits, Paris, Munich and Oman attend the meeting and the G20 Foreign Ministers in Johannesburg.
I tried to find a fellow foreign minister in Asia who was diplomatic comparable. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was not even close. He started the year with a traditional visit to Africa and visited Europe and New York last week, joining Jaishankar in Johannesburg. Other ministers from the region are far behind in their efforts.
What explains India’s diplomatic surge and brings dividends to the country? Diplomacy, the answer is qualified, there are some nos, and many ifs.
First of all, Jaishankar is a professional diplomat, and a foreign minister is a rare phenomenon on the world stage. On the other hand, India has reasonable celebrity diplomats becoming politicians. Of course, no professional diplomat in the southern neighborhood of New Delhi where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located will have the opportunity to be promoted to the ministerial position.
Given all their shortcomings, Indian politicians are natural talents, which explains the rise of Jaishankar and more clearly highlights the rise of the late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who worked as a professional civil servant in the Ministry of Finance and the central bank for a few years, then jumped Participate in politics.
Jaishankar, who served as ambassador to Washington, DC, Beijing, Singapore and the Czech Republic, has a huge comparative advantage over his global peers because of his familiarity with machines and his familiarity with modern diplomacy. In world affairs, he also became India's foreign minister. The quarrel between the United States, the current superpower and China will remain the deepest challenge for a large, medium and large country like India. Driving these geopolitical fault lines requires skilled and agile diplomacy, the ability to express national interests and security goals and achieve them.
India’s pursuit of plural alignment – built on a strong but smooth alliance with the United States, with connections with Russia (especially after the invasion of Ukraine), and with developing countries – is quite a lot of criticism at home and abroad. However, India alone is a chameleon-like country, a quarter of active members (along with the United States, Japan and Australia), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (sponsored by China), the BRICS (Brazil, Russia’s joint efforts , India and China), and are still able to maintain strong, friendly ties with the United States.
In public interaction, Jaishankar explained that India is not anti-Western, but “non-Western”, and that the country has no contradictions in working with the G7 on many issues of common interests, while pursuing other seemingly contradictory alliances and partnerships. . With President Trump’s return, India’s multi-consistency approach is taking its biggest test, who has threatened to lower tariffs in the country and manage its still fragile relationship with China.
India's economy has also swept over the past year, reducing the country's bragging rights as it is the fastest-growing economy in the G20. Despite the impressive diplomacy of Jaishankar, who was recognized by the late Henry Kissinger, his administration needs to do more at home to strengthen the country's global standing. This includes accelerating economic reforms, restoring governance, a competitive environment for business and building a truly inclusive India. Prior to this, India's chief diplomat was also the star chief violinist in most underperforming orchestras.
