‘India Will Be Tested On Many Fronts In 2023, Can We Prevail’?

NEW DELHI: This could be a tricky year, that’s according to Lt. Gen PR Kumar, former director general of military operations, in an article on Bharatshakti, sister website of StratNewsGlobal.  He lists them out, from the Covid resurgence to the Ukraine conflict and the breakdown of great power relations.  But there are opportunities for India, he insists. On The Gist, Nitin Gokhale, editor-in-chief of Bharatshakti, analyses what’s in it for India at a time when the challenges and obstacles are many and complex.  Covid numbers are rising in India but the numbers nationwide are not alarming. As for the Ukraine conflict, India has kept its options open, from not condemning Russia to benefiting from discounted Russian oil. But he acknowledges that the longer the Ukraine war drags on, the greater is the economic impact, and as a poor country India is well aware of this.  What can India do here and Gokhale looks at various options. While great power relations are in flux, India’s ties with China are in poor shape.  At the same time it is reluctant to formalise a more overt military tilt in organisations like the Quad, preferring more prosaic civilian options. Tune in for more in this conversation with Nitin Gokhale.