Country First or Politics First? Why Foreign Policy Needs Maturity
We often see fights between the Government and the Opposition in Parliament. That is democracy, and it is good. But there is an old saying: "Politics must stop at the water's edge." This means when it comes to dealing with other countries, India should speak with one voice. Sadly, today we are seeing a trend where political scoring is kept ahead of national interest. A perfect example is our relationship with the USA. Dealing with superpowers is not easy. It requires balance, patience, and sometimes, a lot of silence. The "Who Stopped the War" Drama Recently, we saw a situation where the US President made a big claim. To boost his own image, he said something like, "India stopped the war because I told them to." or "Peace happened because of US pressure." Now, anyone who knows diplomacy knows that world leaders often take credit for things they didn't do just to satisfy their voters or their ego. In an ideal world, what should Indi...