India Needs to Up Its Diplomatic Game

We don't have to produce another Henry Kissinger, but we must go beyond making statements on the wars now threatening world peace

- R JAGANNATHAN

For a country that is soon to overtake Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy, and possibly the third before the end of the decade, India punches below its weight in terms of diplomacy. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is routinely seen as a rising global leader, he has to get more done through active diplomacy.

A visible personal rapport with global leaders is not a solid enough basis for conducting the kind of hard-nosed diplomacy that delivers net gains for the country. We saw this recently when, despite a seemingly close relationship with Donald Trump, he managed to deeply embarrass India by claiming that the United States had mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. Worse, we are now stuck with 25 per cent tariffs on exports to the US, and have been warned of further penalties over our ties with long-time friend Russia.

Earlier, after Mr Modi personally hosted China's Xi Jinping in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, we ended up with the Galwan clashes and the remilitarisation of the India-China border. Worse, during Operation Sindoor, China fully supported Pakistan in targeting Indian air and other assets with its weapons and intelligence.

In fact, one must wonder whether Mr Modi's efforts to wine and dine the Big Two of today's world were seen as a sign of weakness rather than a proffered arm of friendship. His trademark hugs may have played well with an Indian audience, but it's unclear how world leaders interpreted them.