Urgently Wanted: A Foreign Minister
The recent political developments around India’s immediate neighbours has brought out the urgent need for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appoint his Foreign Minister. When Natwar Singh quit the Union Cabinet as a fallout of the Oil-for-Food scandal, the Prime Minister began to oversee the Indian Foreign Ministry, as well, as an additional charge. Later, Anand Sharma was appointed the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. While appointing Sharma as the MoS may have given the Ministry some sort of a leadership, his role has been more to be in charge of protocol and the rest rather than Foreign Policy initiatives. Also Foreign Secretary, Shyam Sharan and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Navtej Sarna can only do so much in their respective capacities. It is the crucial Foreign Minister that is missing out when the region and the world is seeing great changes in politics and internal developments.
The Nepal Crisis, with India’s missing Foreign Minister, stuck out like a sore thumb in the diplomacy needed at the time. The Prime Minister did appoint an envoy in Dr. Karan Singh but appointing representatives on a country by country basis is unadvisable and frankly unacceptable. A coherent policy was needed to be communicated to the citizens of the country and to the Nepalese establishment and their people as well. However, without a Minister in place, all one got was some sound bites from differing voices and off the record comments. These comments ended up antagonizing the Indian stand by many protestors on the streets, who saw India’s position as being soft on the King. Anti monarchy protests and the threat of the Maoists certainly will have an impact in India and an official Minister of the Government was needed to be in the thick of things.
Now with the fragile peace in Sri Lanka also on the brink, it seems India will also have to deal with the problem and get involved in whatever diplomatic channels acceptable to both countries. Also, a debate is rages on Capitol Hill on the India-US nuclear deal along with the crisis in Iran. India needs an effective Foreign Minister in place to apprise the international community on where India stands on all such pressing issues. India is an emerging superpower and must assert itself more internationally. In order to do so it will have to make its Foreign Policy clear and unflinching in all major capitals in the world.
Although Jawaharlal La Nehru did hold the post of Foreign Minister when he was Prime Minister, it is hugely unrealistic to imagine Manmohan Singh carrying out a full term with both portfolios. In fact it is unthinkable today for the President of the United States to also be the Secretary of State. In the UK the Foreign Minister Jack Straw and even his predecessor Robin Cook were seen criss-crossing the globe to make their nations voices heard. It is acutely necessary that the potentially handicapping berth in the Cabinet is filled up sooner rather than later.
The recent political developments around India’s immediate neighbours has brought out the urgent need for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appoint his Foreign Minister. When Natwar Singh quit the Union Cabinet as a fallout of the Oil-for-Food scandal, the Prime Minister began to oversee the Indian Foreign Ministry, as well, as an additional charge. Later, Anand Sharma was appointed the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. While appointing Sharma as the MoS may have given the Ministry some sort of a leadership, his role has been more to be in charge of protocol and the rest rather than Foreign Policy initiatives. Also Foreign Secretary, Shyam Sharan and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Navtej Sarna can only do so much in their respective capacities. It is the crucial Foreign Minister that is missing out when the region and the world is seeing great changes in politics and internal developments.
The Nepal Crisis, with India’s missing Foreign Minister, stuck out like a sore thumb in the diplomacy needed at the time. The Prime Minister did appoint an envoy in Dr. Karan Singh but appointing representatives on a country by country basis is unadvisable and frankly unacceptable. A coherent policy was needed to be communicated to the citizens of the country and to the Nepalese establishment and their people as well. However, without a Minister in place, all one got was some sound bites from differing voices and off the record comments. These comments ended up antagonizing the Indian stand by many protestors on the streets, who saw India’s position as being soft on the King. Anti monarchy protests and the threat of the Maoists certainly will have an impact in India and an official Minister of the Government was needed to be in the thick of things.
Now with the fragile peace in Sri Lanka also on the brink, it seems India will also have to deal with the problem and get involved in whatever diplomatic channels acceptable to both countries. Also, a debate is rages on Capitol Hill on the India-US nuclear deal along with the crisis in Iran. India needs an effective Foreign Minister in place to apprise the international community on where India stands on all such pressing issues. India is an emerging superpower and must assert itself more internationally. In order to do so it will have to make its Foreign Policy clear and unflinching in all major capitals in the world.
Although Jawaharlal La Nehru did hold the post of Foreign Minister when he was Prime Minister, it is hugely unrealistic to imagine Manmohan Singh carrying out a full term with both portfolios. In fact it is unthinkable today for the President of the United States to also be the Secretary of State. In the UK the Foreign Minister Jack Straw and even his predecessor Robin Cook were seen criss-crossing the globe to make their nations voices heard. It is acutely necessary that the potentially handicapping berth in the Cabinet is filled up sooner rather than later.
posted by Karan Thakur @ 9:58 AM
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