INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY has been witnessing a lot of tumult in the recent years with the nation’s tie-ups sometimes leaning towards the West and sometimes following the circles. Amidst pressing needs of the international cooperation, the shuttle diplomacy has landed more dignitaries on the Indian soil, now than ever before. Now and then the political magnet gets rolling and the nation is on spin, with the pointer obviously stopping when it is facing the west. How far we can trust the so-called allies and to what extent should we depend on their favors is worth a debate. But before a dash off to defend the why, which is implicit in the thought, we must consider other options, if there really are any.

 

India, one of the pioneers of the non-alignment movement, sailing peacefully between the power blocks is preparing to land and that is not good. Bilateral talks with the super cop are futile, as they are always more than demanding. The growing Indo-US intimacy has its rewards but expecting too much is not good. The political bandwagon has already created doubts about the non-aligned status of the nation. Shared interests and shared responsibilities must go hand in hand not at particular occasions but for all times to come.

In a mutual exchange of interests the states must clearly define the contents of agreement, in its entirety.

 

The World Order is not any irreversible phenomenon. Polarity keeps on changing and history has proved that more than once. What is west today may be east tomorrow. In any case Asia is not a small continent with meager resources. The region has been supporting itself as well as its imperial masters. Just zero in on India for the time being. India has a growing economy that is racing towards the 9 percent mark. With more than a billion souls the place offers plenty for a super market in the global trade. The IT sector is far advanced and labor is inexpensive. In simpler terms India has more to offer and needs a little help not subordination. Do we have a choice, the choice to form an alliance and with a nation that can fill the gaps, missing links?

 

Of course we do. Japan and China are two key players in the East and at least one of them is willing to strengthen the ties. Look for it and you will find a chapter in the history about Indo-Japanese cordial relations. The diplomatic relations were established in the two states 54 years ago. The progress, except during the recent decade, has rather been slow.

  

Indo-Japanese relations have been slowly developing and almost came to a standstill after the 1998 nuclear tests carried out by India. The start of the new millennium, however, has witnessed a changed response from both the countries. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then P.M. of India broke the ice during his visit in 2001. Since then scores of dignitaries have come for joint sittings. Japan looks forward to India as a strategic partner and the same message was delivered first by Japan’s P.M. Yoshiro Mori in August 2001 and recently by Junichiro Koizumi in his April, 2005 visit. In January 2006, a high level delegation led by Taro Aso, Foreign Minister of Japan, landed in Hyderabad for bilateral consultations.

 

Japan is one of the first nations that granted financial aid to India. Indian has been receiving yen loans or Japan’s Official Development Assistance since 1958. What is important to observe is the focus of the assistance. The areas of focus include development of economic infrastructure - mainly power and transportation, poverty reduction through agricultural and rural development, environment protection through afforestation and improvement of quality of water and health, medical care assistance. The thrust on these areas clearly indicates the kind of help and assistance the Japanese government provides. Unlike going for some nuclear fuss or making up an army to fight the global terrorists, all contents of this agreement are worth appreciation. ‘Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate’ once again is a welcome initiative after the evasive response to Kyoto protocol by the North American states.

 

Despite institutional differences the two countries have started identifying common and shared interests. However, to secure global partnership the two nations have to ensure bilateral ties in several spheres. Koizumi’s visit was aimed to accelerate the pace of the ongoing development and highlight certain issues that were not covered before. Bilateral forums, economic relations, cultural exchanges have more than brought the nations close.

 

With Koizumi’s farewell and the Year of Japan in India (2007) closing in we hope that there won’t be any deviance from the Look East Policy. 

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