New-found friend

India's External Affairs Minister looks at the world through a sophisticated eye. So, although he may not admit it publicly, he probably r...

India8217;s External Affairs Minister looks at the world through a sophisticated eye. So, although he may not admit it publicly, he probably realises his remark about Muslim votes being the determinant of past India-Israel relations was simplistic and silly. The Muslim votes theory, which 8220;communalises8221; international relations as a Congress party spokesperson rightly points out, has been around for a long time and has wide currency in BJP circles and even beyond. Obviously that theory is not essentially true.

Nor does its reverse hold: both countries would reject very strongly any communalised interpretations of their very fruitful relationship today. The fact that Israel is bidding to become India8217;s second most important defence supplier after Russia, a potential supplier moreover of the most high-tech surveillance systems, of anti-ship missiles and a long list of other sophisticated military hardware, says a great deal about this mutually beneficial relationship. Apart from the economic sphere and defence supplies, there is growing cooperation in combatting international terrorism.Little of this would have been possible had the political relationship not improved. It is worth recalling in the context of Jaswant Singh8217;s careless remark what has brought about happier days. Although India was one of the first countries to recognise Israel at its birth in 1948, it took 40 years for a full-fledged relationship to emerge.

Ideological, moral, political and economic reasons influenced India8217;s Israel policy and among them were anti-imperialism, support for the Palestinian cause, seeking the support or at least neutrality of Arab nations in India8217;s disputes with Pakistan, and West Asian oil supplies. India sometimes went too far in cultivating the Arabs, was often hypocritical, carried its isolation of Israel to excessive lengths, missed opportunities like the Camp David accords and eventually took far too long to repair the relationship.

All true but overall India8217;s interests were preserved. When the Congress government finally upgraded political relations, it coincided with the start of the Middle East peace process. China, which cannot be said to be affected by 8220;Muslim votes8221;, developed a formal political relationship with Israel at this time too.

Singh has spoken of a 8220;civilisational8221; framework in the context of India8217;s international relations but he has not really spelled this out. A 8220;civilisational8221; approach would seem to place more stress on the influence of cultural-religious factors in relations between nations than on self-interest. That is a deeply flawed idea and surely not what Singh has in mind. Nor are cultural-religious factors actually driving the relationship. It would be useful sometime to hear Singh expand on his 8220;civilisational8221; concepts. Meanwhile, the record shows that self-interest remains the basic determinant of Indian foreign policy. Under the BJP, under the pressure of western, post-Pokharan sanctions and the rise in terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, Israel has become more important and the relationship has deepened. At the same time, India8217;s commitment to the Palestinian cause remains unchanged as Singh underscored during his recent visit to Gaza.