On 22 April 1955, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru spoke at the closed session of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, where he said there was no no point in blaming the Soviet Union or America and Asian countries must be on the side of peace, not war. ‘If there is aggression anywhere in the world, it is bound to result in world war.’
The West must recognise that Russia is a declining power, but if pushed hard, it will react – just like Germany did after a humiliating peace at Versailles.
In ‘The 24th Mile’, Tehmton Mistry writes about Dr Jehangir Anklesaria, who took part in the war effort in Rangoon and set about to vaccinate a camp of suffering Indians.
In ‘Raj and Norah’, Peter R. Kohli and Shaina Kohli Russo write about Rajendra Kohli, who left his chemistry studies in England to join the British Army in 1939.
In ‘Bland Fanatics’, Pankaj Mishra writes how books and films portray the pre-war years as an age of prosperity in Europe. But it was full of war, racism and genocide.
During the 2008 financial crisis, leaders like Gordon Brown, Tara Aso and Kevin Rudd gained popularity, but vanished after the rise of nationalist populism.
In an era of polarised politics and fiscal inertia, the world’s most powerful democracies struggle to issue debt beyond 30-50 years. Yet a private entity has convinced the market of its viability through the year 2126.
On bilateral ties, Admiral Paparo said India-US ties have an exponential effect on deterrence, because it demonstrates a unity of purpose among us to maintain the peace.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
COMMENTS