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India needs to maintain its strategic autonomy (Comment: Special to IANS)

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By Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar (retd)
With the call that “America is in the game and America is going to win”, strongly reminiscent of his populist campaign speeches, US President Donald Trump launched his first National Strategic Security (NSS) policy document on December 18, 2017. He categorised his ambitions for the US based on “principled realism” to be propelled by the “re-awakening of America”.

That Trump’s NSS was shorn of any diplomatic finesse and loaded with maximalist rhetorical stirrings for his nation was, to say the least, on expected lines.

Throwing to the winds previous President Barak Obama’s cautious American foreign and economic policies, including withdrawing from earlier US internationally agreed upon commitments to combat climate change, Trump’s macho exhortations did not find much resonance even among many centre-of-the road American politicians and strategic analysts.

The strategy document, which every US president is required by law to produce, lays down the administration’s foreign, security and economic policies. Though normally the US Secretary of State introduces the document, Trump broke with tradition to personally enunciate his future strategies.

He unleashed his priorities for the coming years based on his “whole of government approach” which stresses the “economic and military might” of the US to further America’s national strategic objectives. That, currently, the US is financially fatigued and even militarily weary and stretched, according to its own analysts, is another story.

Trump outlined his NSS based on four pillars — protecting the homeland, promoting prosperity, peace through strength, and accelerating US influence globally. Terming China and Russia as “revisionist powers”, he called upon the US military to augment its capabilities, reiterating that “our rivals are tough, they are tenacious and committed to the long term, but so are we”.

He cautioned China on its growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region while mildly chiding it for its One-Belt-One-Road initiative, exclaiming that though the country “presents its ambitions as mutually beneficial, China’s dominance risks diminishing the sovereignty of many states in the Indo-Pacific”. The NSS document categorically castigates China that it “seeks to displace the US in the Indo-Pacific region, expand the reaches of its state-driven economic model, and re-order the region in its favour”. That the US has not done much, physically, to check the Chinese in the choppy waters of the Indo-Pacific is a harsh reality.

Trump also alluded to the “unfair” trade practices adopted by China while also seeking its cooperation to keep North Korea’s dangerously errant nuclear ambitions in check. That North Korea has got away-so far — with its nuclear blackmail in the region and even threatening the US — is a sad commentary of the times when possession of nuclear weapons, even by nations otherwise starved of basic necessities, has emerged as the final arbiter of one’s ultimate status in the world.

In his geo-political projections, Trump was, perhaps, unfair to Russia, portraying it as a global rival stating that Moscow “seeks to restore its great power status and establish spheres of influence near its borders”, alluding to Ukraine and Crimea.

This assessment will hardly be welcome to India, which has been looking for rapprochement between the US and Russia in the South Asia region, especially in Afghanistan and Iran, to counter the ever-growing Pakistan-China nexus. It would be fair to also assume that notwithstanding Indian sensitivities, even its decades-old partner, Russia, is searching for newer alliances in the region.

The NSS document, however, would be music to Indian ears, as it terms this country a “leading global power” while also seeking larger Indian assistance in South Asia. The US called for stronger strategic and defence partnership with India.

As done many times in the past, without much success though, the NSS warned Pakistan to refrain from its assistance to terrorists in the region, stating that the US sought a “Pakistan that is not engaged in destabilising behaviour and a stable and self-reliant Afghanistan”.

Additionally, Trump also said that “we have made it clear to Pakistan that while we desire a continued partnership, we must see decisive action against terrorist groups operating on their territory. And we make massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help”. That any such exhortations to Pakistan will ever help decreasing terrorism in the region is a moot point which the US acknowledges but, off and on, persists with its policy of appeasing its one-time protégé, an aspect which needs to be critically factored by the Indian security establishment.

Notwithstanding the shrill rhetoric of Trump’s call to his nation, only time will tell if his articulation gets translated into reality — some of it definitely fraught with additional dangers to global peace. As India gets inexorably closer to its “strategic partner”, it will be worthwhile for it to never forget the simple rule in global geopolitics — that for a nation of its values, size, global and regional influence there is immense wisdom in maintaining “strategic autonomy” and being ever-prepared to fight its own battles.

(Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar (retd) was founder of India’s Defence Intelligence Agency and is currently President, Delhi Forum For Strategic Studies. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor)

–IANS

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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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