THE TIME FOR ALLIANCE?

AMIT GUPTA argues why it is time for India to rethink its foreign and security policy

- Amit Gupta

In the aftermath of the Galwan Valley incident of June 15, 2020, there has been a lot of sabre rattling in India as the media, retired generals, and some politicians have been calling for taking the fight to the Chinese. There has also been the talk of boycotting Chinese goods and mobile phone apps to show the anger of the Indian people towards Beijing. The problem with this approach is two-fold: economic disengagement is not an easy process; and for a war to be successful you need to have the capability and a long-term strategy to achieve success. What I argue is that rather than look for conventional and emotional responses to countering China, India needs to create a strategy that opens up its economic choices and gives it greater strategic autonomy. This may paradoxically lie in building up a greater strategic alliance with the United States since America is the one power that can counterbalance the Chinese.

The Fallacy of War