Time For Primakov's Triangle Of Global Influence?

Yevgeny Primakov's idea of India, Russia and China playing a balancing role in the post-Cold War era was ahead of its time. But as recent moves show, it's worth revisiting now

- MK BHADRAKUMAR

THERE are signs that the Russia-India-China platform is becoming 'kinetic' after a lapse of a few years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Moscow last month placed a great store in symbolism. The visit coincided with NATO'S summit in Washington, which most certainly called attention to the global character of the Russian-Indian relationship in the transformative regional environment in current history.

There were other signposts, too. Principally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's address at the 10th Primakov Readings forum in Moscow on June 26 hardly 10 days before Modi's visit―was of significance in this connection. The Primakov Readings forum is a prestigious event. Yevgeny Primakov has a unique place in the pantheon of Soviet heroes he combined his remarkable versatility to play a crucial role in bridging the post-Soviet transition after the failure of Russia's search for habitation in a common European home.

Primakov's visionary mind came to the conclusion that a Russia-India-China (RIC) 'collegium' could be of pivotal importance in the emerging post-Cold War world order. Without doubt, Primakov was thinking ahead of his times. In all fairness, neither New Delhi, which was obsessed with its 'unipolar predicament' at that point and yearned to be a 'natural ally' of the US, nor Beijing, which was intrigued by the hypothetical G2 grouping made up of the US and China (being the two most important world economies), was prepared for such an epochal leap of faith.