How to make the right connections

The US Senate recently passing legislation that may allow the imposition of tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India, but it’s hard not to acknowledge the warmth with which Donald Trump mentions our honourable Prime Minister. FILE PIC/AFP

I recently stumbled upon an interview featuring a common man somewhere in a Tier-2 city. You know the sort: one of those middle-aged uncles who always has the time to express an opinion whenever there's a young journalist with a microphone around. The uncle in question was being asked questions about how he rated the government on multiple fronts. To no one's surprise, he declared that life in India has never been better. According to him, this is the first time in the country's history, ever since the British were asked to leave, that it feels like we're all living in a golden age.

The video made me happy, of course, because I share that sentiment when it comes to acknowledging how amazing the government is. I was also pleased to hear that man talk about how countries around the world now treat India with newfound respect. He explained how countries that have never taken India seriously before now go out of their way to bow down before our intellectual and cultural superiority. It made me cry proud, patriotic tears.

It was admittedly hard for me to find videos sharing that sentiment when they weren't being made by uncles living in India. These days, when it comes to discussions of Indians on social media, respect is often in short supply. What I tend to find a lot more easily is anger or disgust, accompanied by footage of my countrymen shouting in quiet places, dancing suggestively at heritage sites, or being accused of theft. I don't take these instances seriously though, because I still believe that India is fast becoming one of the world's most respected countries despite what residents of those countries may say online.

I believe the reason for this respect stems from the government's innate knack of choosing the right allies. Back in the day when we were governed by people who didn't come with degrees in Entire Political Science, India and Indians were treated with disdain. Now, thanks to the countries and leaders we publicly align ourselves with, the world has been compelled to applaud our collective intelligence.

Take our relationship with the United States, for example. Once upon a time, no American leader would bother paying much attention to this corner of the Third World. Today, despite the US Senate recently passing legislation that may allow the imposition of tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India, it's hard not to acknowledge the warmth with which Donald Trump mentions our honourable Prime Minister. Indian businesses may suffer, there may be more job cuts in some sectors, and some analysts have estimated losses of over $30 billion in exports, but no one can say that our leaders aren't being treated with respect, which counts for a lot more than just economic health.

Then there's that other great ally, Israel. The country has been sanctioned by the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Norway, among other nations. It has also been accused of committing genocide against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip by several countries, but none of that has affected India's relationship with what is effectively a global pariah. In fact, Indian companies have now been identified as manufacturers of weapons components to the Israeli military, which is another sign that our leaders probably know something the rest of the world doesn't.

Some biased observers may think of this as foolhardiness - this seemingly deliberate cozying up to immoral criminals and dictators, one of whom has an arrest warrant issued by the international criminal court for committing war crimes. What these naïve critics fail to understand is the intelligence with which the government of India operates in these testing times. It may no longer have jobs to offer its youth but, today, Indian businessmen are being protected in all kinds of ways, and that is a genuine reason to celebrate. In fact, if it weren't for this fine line between sucking up and foreign policy, a prominent Indian billionaire would probably be in trouble for bribery and fraud in the US. Our billionaires are safe, and that is the true definition of success.

Countries that choose the wrong partners often end up in bad places. I believe we ought to applaud the government of India's choices and try seeing the bigger picture that drives its decisions. India may have allies that everyone else loves to hate, but if it were making such a mess of foreign policy, why would we be the envy of the world today?

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He can be contacted at www.lindsaypereira.com
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.