What China wants from India?? - Untangling the Liberal narrative

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on his three day visit to China, the question that needs to be correctly asked is “What does China really WANT from India??” Before we attempt to answer this question, it is important to understand “What China does NOT WANT from India??” This question is critical to untangle the myth perpetuated by Left liberal intelligentsia and “secular” establishment about Chinese intentions about India.  The myth about Indian Chinese friendship, the repeated calls of shared heritage of two ancient civilizations working towards a stable global order while cooperating closely economically, politically and culturally.  This is in-fact a repackaged version of Nehruvian “India China Bhai Bhai” philosophy that led to historic defeat in 1962.  

What China does NOT WANT from India is peaceful and cooperative friendship between two equal partners. Now before our hyperventilating Liberal friends jump and accuse us of war mongering and retort that China is not currently in a war with us. Let me clarify that the operative word here is equal. China is not like the rabid minded Pakistan intent on continuous warfare with us. However China never intends to consider us as an equal partner, anything but that they consider us as infinitely inferior and subservient race.

Yet, why does the left liberal intelligentsia perpetuate the myth of Chinese Indian friendship. They do because there are three different set of people all part of this group who have stake in perpetuating this myth.

The first set is the establishment itself, the ancien regime of political-bureaucratic leviathan that has characterized our governance for the past 65 years. The motive for them to propagate the myth is to cover the huge governance bankruptcy under their establishment. In the decades since Independence, this establishment has fretted away critical years in corruption, nepotism and short sighted policies instead of building strategic capacity. Similar to the typical Delhi attitude of looking at one’s near abode and thinking only of personal advancement and aggrandizement, officials and political masters responsible for Chinese policy have for too long focused on promotions, departmental feuds, ego battles and making money out of everything including toilet seats.  Hence today they have NO CLUE about China. They really don’t know what Chinese think economically, politically or militarily and what their objectives are. Therefore to cover their sheer incompetence they proceed with blustering their way out. As typified by our former foreign minister’s response to Chinese incursions as mere acne on the face. They shout out from all available media that everything is fine and there is nothing amiss and that we need to continue this “exalted” friendship with China.

The second set consists of the “Hippie”, idealistic, utopian, day dreaming crowd of left liberals. This set typified by our usual AAP supporters believe in the global order of Human beings. To them, the world is harmonious collection of people who need to live peacefully with each other by sharing and giving and caring and so on…. Similar to their economic and governance philosophy, their foreign policy is centred on the core belief that every human being is absolutely good at heart and intent on global wellness. Now however wishful this might seem, we know that this is not true when we look at the cold reality of our existence. Just like how organized communes and Mohalla shabhas fail in our real world, so does this Utopian foreign policy. However this left liberal set, who consists the largest among the three sets utilize every channel to call out for peace. To them the ideas of real politick and strategic building of capacity are horrors that disrupt their childish fascination to achieve the cartoonish world of “knob the builder” or “Dora the explorer”. Therefore they will like hugging trees to prevent development will do all that is possible to disrupt anything that can be considered “war like”.

Finally, the third and most dangerous set are the set of people who are completely against the very idea of India. This includes the Maoists, their sympathizers, JNU crowd and other anti-national elements including Medha Patkar, John Dayal and others of the NGO crowd. This set secretly wishes for disruption and destruction of India itself and Balkanization into multiple entities. Their desire is driven by ideological anchorage to Mao China, similar to Kolkattans who celebrated the Chinese advance in 1962. They are actively sponsored and device many devious ways to propagate their goal. And hindering all matters of developing capabilities to counter react to Chinese designs is foremost part of their strategy. Hence they will try to blind us all in to believing Chinese friendship and good intentions and warnings us not to look at gift horse by its mouth.

Given that we have now untangled the web of lies spread by left liberals about what China wants from India. Let us look at what they really WANT from us.  There are two main driving factors to understand this.

One, China wants to dominate the world. This is fact that is now known by most of the global sane population. Here again lets us not be dissuade by false arguments about retard-ness of the above statement as it is foolish for China to engage in World War III.  The fact is that the entire premise China doesn’t want to dominate the world because they don’t want global conflict is again a product of childish thinking. As detailed out in the book “The Hundred year Marathon” by Michael Phillsbury, China wants to achieve dominance in the world by replacing USA as the pre-eminent power of 21^st Century. This would entail developing economic, political and military might silently through stealth and mis-interpretation of intent.  China would like to then redesign global institutions and order in a framework of its liking. The principle drive for this is to reverse the humiliation of recent past under western imperialism and hark back to the glorious days of “Heaven’s Mandate”. 

Hence, for them any coupling of India and China is naturally insulting. The whole India China bracketing is unjust and illogical. The truth is that we are nowhere near China economically, politically or militarily, Our 65 years of left liberal establishment has hallowed us from within. They know this and they resent any attempt to equate us with them. Our previous establishment’s attempt to mask in the fake glory of being equal to China definitely instigates it to show the world what our place is.

Secondly, though China understands that India currently is nowhere near matching it. India still has the potential in next 50 years to seriously undermine Chinese order. This is because of the sheer weight of our numbers. Just like in the initial stages of WW2, inferior Russian forces were able to halt superior German forces by their huge and almost infinite size of army and land. India even today can in the next decade develop enough capability to make any Chinese intervention into a costly affair. It is only India and India alone that has in the future the potential to give Chinese a bloody nose if we get our act together.

Therefore, China really doesn’t want India to develop and acquire the potential and the capabilities. China doesn’t want to share its glory equally with India. China has not planned for the next hundred years displacing America to see India hitchhike its hard work to acquire place in the high table. No, China doesn’t want any of this. What they really WANT is for India to remain a third world country. Yes. That is what China really wants of us. Just like USA long neutralized potential competitors like Mexico or Brazil in its neighbourhoods to global lightweights. China would like India to be the same. To be eternally internal focused on domestic squabbles, dealing with myriad problems and never have the institutional and united will to stand up to it. 

Hence if we truly want India to be a superpower, to be counted among the developed nations of the global order, to have our voice matter, then it is time that we got out act right. Let us first get facts straight about true Chinese intentions and let us sort our putrid domestic mess left over by Nehru Gandhian establishment and focus our energy in building economic, political and military capacity.

However let us be aware of the ever existing Left liberal goebbelsian threat against our efforts for we need to cut and discard the cancerous tumour that has affiliated us for so long. 

Lessons from Neville Chamberlain

On January 8^th, two of our Jawans were killed by Pakistan, their bodies were mutilated and one of the Jawan's head was carried back as a trophy. In any Nation, one could expect outrage over this gruesome and brutal act, but not in India. In India, today we see News anchors and so called “intellectuals” lecturing us on how we should not do anything but accept the “situation” and that we should continue with talks. Their argument is as follows, that any action would escalate into a nuclear war between the two nations annihilating both the nations, hence it is prudent for India to continue with the “Peace process” a.k.a Aman ki Asha. This line of reasoning appears to me however highly defeatist in nature and more importantly if pursued would result in dire consequences.

Here, I believe that one should take note of History and especially learn from chapter that has come to define the word appeasement.

“Appeasement is a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to an aggressor.” – Wikipedia

In the 1930s France and especially Britain were keen to avoid another World war with Germany at all costs. Hence they went to great extent to appease Hitler in the hope that each time they agree to his demands, he would be satisfied and would eventually result in Peace. So each time Hitler and Nazi Germany indulged undertook aggressive measures, retaliation or retribution from the western powers was not undertaken for the fear that it would result in the escalation of the conflict into a World war. When Hitler annexed Saar region with a force of just 3000 soldiers, a single division of Allied armies would have been enough to stop him. And the ensuing defeat in such a conflict would have led to his removal as the German chancellor. But Britain and France were too afraid of starting a world war. Der Spiegel in an article explains the French and British thinking at the time –

When French Chief of Staff Maurice Gamelin, choosing his words carefully, told the cabinet that a French advance would likely encounter the greatest German resistance, probably leading to war, and that France was not prepared for an offensive campaign, the cabinet members nodded approvingly and decided to leave the next move up to the British. Only if they joined in would the French take an active role, they concluded.

But London wasn't about to play along. If the French were unwilling to make a move, why should Britain send its sons to risk their lives?

But the person who is most associated with the failed appeasement policy is British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He is regarded in history as the person who gave up the most to Hitler and who is blamed the most by the general public at large for failing to stand up against Hitler.

Der Speigel again writes

Chamberlain, the conservative product of a family of politicians, was part of a large faction that sought to appease Germany by fulfilling its wishes, provided they appeared legitimate and were not enforced with violence Appeasement was a policy that fed on emotions as well as intellect, at least with Chamberlain. The British prime minister had lost his beloved cousin in World War I. From then on, he advocated the basic principle of all pacifists: Wars have no winners, only losers. The worst-case scenarios being painted by British and French experts played into the hands of those politicians who wanted to avoid war at all costs

Neville Chamberlain was under the perception that he was a great diplomat and that he will be able to deal with Hitler and bring about lasting peace. He believed that Hitler was a gentleman who will hold to his promises. This deranged and delusional belief resulted in the direst of consequences to global turn of events.

Hitler was able to take advantage of this objective of the appeasers to avoid war at all costs. He was able to threaten and annex the sudentan land from Czechoslovakia and finally Czechoslovakia itself. This made him believe that the western powers would tolerate any of his intransigence which finally led to the invasion of Poland on 1^st September 1939 and the start of World War II.

Sadly, had Britain and France acted as early as 1936, World War II could have been prevented and Hitler deposed. But both the western powers were too weary of another global conflict. Hence they were desperately seeking it avoid it. However Britain and France failed to realize that Hitler had no intention of peace. Anyone who had read Mein Kempf could easily realize what Hitler’s true intentions were. But the mirage of achieving lasting peace fooled the leaders of Britain and France into believing that Hitler also sought for peace. They were ready to forget his intransigence and aggressive actions taken, each time hoping that it will be the last and justifying each of Hitler’s action that it is inevitable and starting a conflict for avoiding the same is meaningless.

The surprising fact is that anyone who reads the above account of the policy of appeasement followed by Britain and France can easily observe the eerie similarity with the present appeasement policy followed by Manmohan Singh and the Indian government. Manmohan Singh like Neville Chamberlain believed that he possesses diplomatic skills that would enable him to deal with Pakistan. There is also his unwavering and near delusional belief that he will be able to reform Pakistan and bring about lasting peace between the two nations. Hence every taunt and aggressive maneuver by Pakistan is sidestepped with a faint and timid warning that this will be the last Lakshmana Rekha that Pakistan will cross, in the hope that it will be indeed so.

Teaming with Prime Minister, is a bunch of Media and Government elite, who also believe in their God given destiny to bring about peace with Pakistan in the hope that they could get more Veena Mallik’s to India and have Gala dinners with their Pakistani counterparts. Hence you have initiatives such as “Aman ki Asha” which have so far achieved nothing but some useless debates and discussions and few cricket matches. The so called people to people initiatives are a farce since for such thing to succeed you need more than few cocktail dinners and cricket matches. But that doesn’t prevent media pundits explaining to the Nation why we must continue pursuing talks with Pakistan even after repeated instances of brutality, cowardice and aggression by other side. Their often quoted reason is that “war is not an option” and any tactical retribution would immediately escalate into a nuclear holocaust. This is entirely ridiculous at the least. Though I completely agree that fighting a war with Pakistan is unacceptable, surely there are enough ways to tackle the issue rather than having useless “Aman ki Tamasha” debates.

What Manmohan Singh and Media pundits do not understand from History is that such appeasement policies never work. Pakistan like Hitler doesn’t really want peace with India. Maybe some of the matured and liberal elements do, but the Army who are the actual rulers of Pakistan do not desire peace with India, Hence like the Western powers in the 1930s, all compromises undertaken by India in the hope that it’ll be the last time and that the other side will reform are truly mistaken. It’ll only further strengthen the other side and make them believe that they can get away with anything; In 1939 Hitler was so convinced that Britain and France will do nothing that he decided to invade Poland starting World War II. Similarly, today repeated inaction by the Indian government has bolstered the radical elements in Pakistan that they can continue with their aggressive posturing with India and that all their actions will go unpunished. Like in the case of Nazi Germany, this appeasement policy ironically pushes elements in Pakistan to undertake even more aggressive and bold measures against India. My fear is that a day may come when one of the radicals can explode a nuclear bomb in India pushing both of us to a nuclear conflict. Though this might today seem highly exaggerated, the continuation of the current policy has great probability of leading India to a tragic destiny.

Surely, the solution to this impending crisis is the discontinuation of the present policy which is fraught with so much danger. There are many viable options, not of all of them leading to a nuclear war with Pakistan. In my next article, I’ll try to elaborate on a few of them. And finally Manmohan Singh and Media Pundits need to revisit history and read elaborately about the decade before WWII to understand just how dangerous their present policy of appeasement is. And all of need to get rid of this defeatist mindset that nothing is possible, surely if mankind can find cures to plagues, find ways to travel to the moon and invent and innovate in unimaginable ways, then a solution to “Pakistan Problem” is not a daunting one and which can be found given enough intellect and determination is applied to solving it.

PS - Der Speigel Illustrates by Maps how appeasement policies resulted in German dominance of Europe in the 1940 from a diplomatically and militarily vulnerable position in the beginning of the 1930s