Some Raw Intelligence

The interminable buzz of speculation over J.N. Dixit8217;s replacement should now thankfully cease with M.K. Narayanan, special advisor to ...

The interminable buzz of speculation over J.N. Dixit8217;s replacement should now thankfully cease with M.K. Narayanan, special advisor to the prime minister on internal security, being named as the country8217;s new national security advisor. Sensitive appointments of this kind are often the cause of unedifying turf wars and highlight the underlying tensions and disjunctures inherent in the system. These can sometimes have an extremely deleterious effect on the authority of the national leadership, particularly the office of the prime minister. By moving on the issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has signalled a desire not just to put an end to the rumours flying around but to take ownership of the country8217;s strategic planning and policy making process. This, of course, demands more than the appointment of one individual and how the prime minister envisages his team of advisors on security should get clearer in the days ahead.

With an NSA in place, attention should now shift to the more substantive issues at hand. The times demand both continuity and change. While on-going initiatives 8212; like the back-channel diplomacy with Pakistan that Dixit was engaged in 8212; require to be resumed with the necessary vigour, there is also a need to rethink the contours of Indian foreign policy and security framework, keeping in mind the country8217;s profile as an emerging power in the region and the world. Finally, there an obvious need for better coordination between the various ministries and departments on security matters 8212; not just to handle an impending crisis but in terms of smoother day-to-day functioning.

Coherence is needed on the intelligence front, as well, and Narayanan as a former chief of the Intelligence Bureau is possibly the best man to ensure this. The Research and Analyses Wing RAW, its functioning mired by the curious case of Rabindra Singh who is believed to have leaked information to the CIA and then mysteriously fleeing the country, has just been put on notice. The man who will now head it has, it appears, been deliberately chosen from outside its present ranks in order to facilitate course correction and systemic reform. Both these new appointments should come as a challenge and an opportunity to address the inherent flaws in the system and embark on new beginnings.