Shyam Saran is no stranger to those interested in foreign policy or those in the media covering the ebb and flow of foreign policy. He was India’s foreign secretary from 2004-06, was ambassador to Nepal and Myanmar among other assignments and upon retirement was the PM’s special envoy on climate change.
In this conversation on The Gist, Ambassador Saran has argued for going back to the foreign policy drawing board “Because when the assumptions on which you have based your foreign policy for the last several years, if those assumptions are no longer valid or appear to be sort of diminishing in relevance, then it stands to reason that you should be really looking at how you adjust your relationships with the rest of the world, in order to uphold India’s national interests.”
It cannot be called a reset, he says, because that means going back to square one, to things that are no longer valid.
“We have to look at a completely different scenario that is unfolding in the future. So are we looking at very fundamentals? Well, you know, whether or not it is fundamental or only a passing phase, time will tell.
“But my own impression is that some of the changes are quite fundamental limiting. So that would mean things like non-alignment and so on. Strategic autonomy. If strategic autonomy continues to be a enduring principle of Indian foreign policy, then the manner in which you will ensure strategic autonomy will need to change.”
He dismissed the view that strategic autonomy has left India friendless.
“You know in diplomacy, terms like friends or enemies, I think these are quite irrelevant. Countries work on the basis of their interests. So you are our friend as long as our interests are aligned.
“We have to really look at in terms of the current geopolitical situation and our judgment with regard to how this geopolitics is going to evolve in the foreseeable future. Where should India locate itself? You know which partnerships are going to be more important, which partnerships may be less important, which countries we will find that our interests are more closely aligned?
Tune in for more in this chat with Ambassador Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary and ambassador to Nepal and Myanmar.
