Policy Watch: India’s Place in the World – November 2023

This issue of Policy Watch deals with the theme – India’s Place in the World. The issue has been put together by RGICS Senior Visiting Fellow, Prof Somnath Ghosh, who did his doctoral work at the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies and RGICS Fellow Sneha Mahapatra, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

The first article is by RGF Chairperson Smt Sonia Gandhi on the Israel-Palestine Issue. This article first appeared in The Hindu and we reproduce it with gratitude. The article is critical of violence perpetrated by both sides – Hamas and Israel. It calls for a cease-fire on humanitarian grounds. And for the long run, it reiterates a strong belief that both the Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in a just peace.

It is said “a picture is worth a thousand words” and we carry a photo by Mahmud Hams, of a Palestinian father holding his wounded child. It captures the human tragedy in Gaza. But sometimes words, used powerfully, can evoke a picture. Towards this we carry a poem by Anshu Malviya. It is titled फलतीन कस बनता ह. We thank both Mahmud and Anshu for letting us rediffuse their work.

The second article is co-authored by Prof Ghosh, with support from Ms Mahapatra. It gives a more detailed understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict, starting from its historical origins. Using the concept of realpolitik, it traces the history of unjustified violence and the resulting impasse.

The third article is on the G-20, and has been written by Ms Mahapatra under the guidance of Prof Ghosh. It traces the history of the G-20 from the pre-G7 days and how the grouping has evolved. The structural geopolitics of who is in and who is not included is explained. Thereafter there is a section on the Indian Presidency which ended a month ago and finally an assessment of the G-20 as a whole and the way forward.

The fourth article deals with India’s neighbourhood – in this case the downward turn in the relationship between the Indian Ocean island nation Maldives and India. The article has been reproduced from the latest issue of Frontline and it gives a detailed background on how the relationship has deteriorated over the years, largely in response to the domestic polices of both nations playing out on an international relations canvas.