Some major updates to cover in today’s Indian Foreign Policy Report are as follow:

Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism

The Republic of India recently participated in the Ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism. The Indian delegation was led by Smt. Vijay Thakur Singh, Ministry of External Affairs. The virtual meeting began with the Indian Secretary conveying a word of gratitude to the Foreign Ministers of Spain and Afghanistan respectively, Co-Chairs of the group and also to the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) for organising the meeting. The Secretary then went onto underscore the importance of dealing with terrorism as an international problem rather than an individual domestic one. She also highlighted that even though the world today has been brought to a standstill, terrorism still continues to pose a threat to International Peace and Security. Throughout the meeting, special emphasis was placed on the rights of the victims of terrorism to get justice for the crimes committed against them. Lastly, the secretary called for redressing deficiencies in the international efforts to ensure that perpetrators of terrorism are swiftly brought to justice. During the meeting, gratitude was also expressed towards the United Nations for establishing August 21 as the ‘ ̃International Day of Remembrance of and tribute to the Victims of Terrorism’.

Press Release of Russia-India-China Foreign Ministers

On the 10th of September, India released a joint press statement, along with the Foreign Minister of Russia, Mr Sergey Lavrov and State Councillor/Foreign Minister of China, Mr Wang Yi. The meeting kicked off with the three ministers expressing their resolve to strengthen the Russia-China-India trilateral cooperation and give importance to issues of international and regional importance. The minister laid emphasis on the fact that cooperation among the three countries is conducive and vital in promoting global growth, peace, stability and more importantly creating an environment of inclusive multilateralism and respect for universally recognized principles of international law. In terms of the recent challenges posed by the COVID- 19 world pandemic, the ministers concurred that the three countries, with strong scientific and industrial capacities, could make a significant contribution towards mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The External Affairs Minister of India and the Foreign Minister of China thanked the Foreign Minister of Russia for the chairmanship of RIC and the conferences organized during the past year. The Foreign Minister of Russia officially handed over the chairmanship of RIC to the External Affairs Minister of India.

13th India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue

The 13th India-Japan Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogues was recently conducted between the Indian Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart, H.E Mr Motegi Toshimitsu. The meeting was initiated with the two representatives reviewing the progress made in India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership and discussing issues of mutual interests, ranging from maritime security to UN reforms. Having experienced the benefits of technology at a time when the world has experienced a veritable seismic shift towards technology, the two Foreign ministers finalised the text of the Cyber Security Agreement. The agreement looks at promoting cooperation in capacity building, research and development, security and resilience in the areas of Critical Information Infrastructure, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), among others. Lastly, the two Foreign Ministers turned to the issue of the Indo-Pacific that has the entire world riveted. India has time and again, emphasised its belief in establishing the Indo-Pacific as a free and inclusive region. The meeting also led to further discussions on the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative between India, Japan, Australia and other like-minded countries. Lastly, the Japanese side agreed to be the lead partner in the connectivity pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) and jointly take both countries’ respective visions for the Indo-Pacific forward.

Joint Press Release of the 7th Round of India-China Military Commander-Level Meeting

The 7th round of the Senior Commanders Meeting of India and China was held in Chushul. The meeting mainly focused on the disengagement along the Actual Line of Control in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas. After what was described as a positive and constructive meeting, both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through their military as well as diplomatic channels. Lastly, both sides agreed to ensure that disagreements in the future do not turn into disputes, securing peace in the region, by maintaining tranquillity in the border areas.

2nd India-Australia-Japan-USA Ministerial Meeting

The Indian Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar participated in the Second India-Australia-Japan-USA ministerial meeting in Tokyo. The meeting started with a follow up of the talks held in the previous year in September. The four countries called for a coordinated international response, spearheaded by the four nations. They further discussed the post-pandemic world order. The meeting mainly focused on the need to establish best practices to combat the virus, to increase the resilience of the supply chain and fortify the need to enhance the access to affordable vaccines, and medical equipment. Keeping in mind the emergence of the Quad and the importance of the Indo- Pacific, the Foreign Ministers exchanged views about regional and international issues of importance. The representatives re-emphasised their firm support to working towards realising a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific. Alongside the joint ministerial meetings of all the four nations, S. Jaishankar also met with H. E Micheal Pompeo, Secretary of State for the USA, and in the immediate future, will be meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Australia and Japan.

Appointments

The current Ambassador of India to the Republic of Indonesia, Shri Pradeep Kumar Rawat has been replaced by Shri Manoj Kumar Bharti, who served as the Special Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The following appointment comes as a result of Mr Rawat’s appointment as the next Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Lastly, Shri Rahul Shrivastava, who currently serves as the Indian Ambassador of India to Romania, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador to the Republic of Albania.

Conclusion

The world that we inhabit today is very different from the one that we experienced just over a year ago. Not only have we been dealing with an existential crisis at hand in the form of the COVID 19 pandemic, but as we step into a new decade of the 21st century, we find chaos and confusion governing the four corners of the world, with the coups in countries like Mali and the pitiable state that countries like Nigeria are in. However, the most anticipated event of the year, the US presidential elections are in a fortnight, and it’ll definitely be interesting to see how they shape global politics in the coming years.

Also Read: INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY REPORT — EDITION #6

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Historical Context

Observations have shown that with the onset of the Age of Discovery in Europe, increased interest of Russia and China in Central Asia somewhat led to the breaking away of India’s connections with the region. Even after Independence, India’s foreign policy majorly focused on its immediate neighbours, or solidarity-based relations with the African countries, or even robust economic ties with Russia — but, the partitioning of the Indian subcontinent and the distancing of the region geographically did play a role in the deterioration of the relations with the region from India.

Further, in the post-Cold War era, after the Soviet Union split Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the 1990s, India took upon the task of developing its relations with the resource-rich region while also undertaking its own domestic economic reforms of bringing about liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation. Former Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao visited four out of the five republics – Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 1993, followed by Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan in 1995. In addition to the collective values that India shared with the countries, collective development and economic growth, as well as formulating approached to combating common threats such as terrorism, religious extremism, and crime that these nations shared with India. A few experts also believe that the stage which was set by these conversations was even reflected in India’s Look North policy of recent times. 

Despite the historical links with the Central Asian Economies and India moving quickly to establish diplomatic ties with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan after their emergence as independent countries almost three decades ago, trade has not grown beyond $2 billion, with them. In recent years, foreign-affairs analysts have begun observing what they call the “New Great Game” in Central Asia — Russia, the US, European Union (EU), China, Turkey, Iran and India are all trying to assert their power and hegemony in the region. Not only does the region provide for a large market, but it also has prospects for developing hydropower, fossil fuel resources, and other lucrative prospects. According to experts, India, for its part, has so far chosen to take the ‘constructivist’ approach. This entails a strategy of, interests are not solely based on economic or strategic benefits but attempt to involve an intersectional and even culture-oriented involvement.

Current Developments

India’s continued interest in Central Asia can be attributed to the geopolitical relevance of the region due to three factors — Chinese presence and influx in the region through its expansionist infrastructure projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a continued historical context of Russia’s dominance in the region, and the overall regional security dynamic. Keeping these in mind, India had unveiled its Connect Central Asia Policy in Bishkek in 2012 in order to draw attention to the expansion of the region’s economic interests in congruence with India’s plans of integrating its external neighbourhood.

The lack of connectivity of India with the region of Central Asia has been a long withstanding issue in this context. For instance, the long-delayed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was first proposed in the mid-1990s and all four actors officially signed an intergovernmental agreement in 2010. But, since then, the project has been stalled due to the status of Afghanistan and mistrust between India and Pakistan.

To combat this connectivity gap, India has undertaken positive action in the past as well quite recently. India, Iran and Russia signed the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) agreement which aimed to offer connectivity between India and Central Asia through Iran. As is noted by this resource, while the INSTC is routed via Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, India has also explored the possibility of connecting with Central Asia via Iran’s Chabahar port and thereafter overland corridors passing through Afghanistan. The importance bestowed by India to the Chabahar port, despite the uncertainties which the US-Iran tensions bring to the conversation, can be accorded by the budgetary allocation to the project, which is amounting to INR 1 Billion in 2020-21 announcement.

Way Forward

Since China has been able to leverage its geography, finances and population to ensure that its projects can contribute toward making its dream of a new and improved Silk Road a reality, India is also committed to expanding the scope of its economic relations with the region. India has immense potential in developing small and medium scale industries in the region which is presently being provided through India’s program of ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation). The ITEC programme covers information technology, management, journalism, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and banking. New Delhi also signed the Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPA) with three of the five nations of the Central Asian Economies — Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — in order to stimulate defence cooperation and deepen trade relations.

As a report in a Russian newspaper observed, “Indian presence in the region should balance the growing Chinese influence and prevent it from becoming the region of Beijing’s undivided dominance.” This idea can be brought to effect by India by leveraging its membership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

India and the Central Asian Economies can prioritize energy, pharmaceuticals, automotive, agro-processing, education, urban infrastructure and transport, civil aviation, IT and tourism sectors to strengthen economic links. The Central Asian economies and India have had a long history of association which can be efficiently revived to mutual benefit by the means of strategic and economic cooperation and connectivity, both notions that can be leveraged by the stakeholders in a post-pandemic world.

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KYOTO – THE CULTURAL CENTRE

While the rich culture of Japan is prevalent throughout the entire nation, the city of Kyoto in the southwest of the country is regarded as the cultural centre, by the Japanese and foreigners alike, perhaps owing to its historical roots. Kyoto was the capital of the country until the latter half of the 19^th century, and therefore people often perceive it as the birthplace of the Japanese culture. Home to about 2000 temples and shrines along with imperial palaces, and other ancient buildings, it was within this city that several distinct cultural institutions of Japan, like, tea ceremony (cha-no-yu) and flower arranging (ikebana), the theatrical arts of Noh, Kabuki and traditional dance, were initiated and spread to other parts of the country. Kyoto also has housed masterpieces of calligraphy, sculpting, painting and architecture. The population in Kyoto still remains involved in such activities, creating masterpieces that are deemed as national treasures, conducting tea ceremonies, and having an active theatrical life with annual processions by Noh performers, etc. The three festivals that the citizens celebrate in great grandeur and pride are Aoi in May, Gion in July and Jidai in October.

Aoi Festival

Gion Festival

Jidai Festival

The Japanese population along with the whole world, has embraced the culture of Kyoto, which can be implied by the recent popularity of the phrase, “Sekai no Kyoto” (The World’s Kyoto). The popular tourist destinations like the many number of Shrines and temples (Fushimi Inari Shrine, Gingaku – Ji Temple, Kinkaku – Ji temple, etc ), the Arashiyama Bamboo grove, and others such as Gion and Pont-cho street attract tourists from all over the world, and even the native Japanese who try to go to the city atleast once in their lives.

RELIGION – Buddhism and Shintoism

Japan has seen the growth of two major religions, i.e, Buddhism which was brought about by foreign forces and the native religion of Shintoism, both of which have peacefully co-existed. However, the  division between followers of Buddhism and Shintoism is far from watertight, as most often, those Japanese who follow Buddhism, sometimes also declare themselves as followers of Shinto. Therefore, any claims of the population being divided solely into Buddhists and Shintos do not hold.

Shintoism

Tori Gate

Fushimi Inari-taisha

Shinto, i.e, the way of the Gods (Kami) is the oldest religion in Japan and possibly the most followed, as evidence suggests that about 80% of the Japanese identify themselves as followers of Shinto. There are no historical evidences that suggest the identity of the founder of the religion, and a lack of sacred texts and any sort of formalized teachings, indicate the fact that unlike Buddhism, it’s not an organized religion. The cornerstone of Shintoism is the belief in Kami, i.e, the spiritual elements of nature that exist in waterways, trees, mountains, and geographical regions.  The only foundation of the religion in conclusion is therefore, reverence of peace and harmony, respect for all elements of nature and the belief that being in nature means a closer access to Kami.

How has Buddhism influenced Japanese culture?

The Great Buddha (Daibutsu) at Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Buddhism which officially came to Japan around 525 BC, has been able to acquire a large following in the country, with about 90 million of the population identifying themselves as Buddhists. While the religion faced a certain conflict between pro-Buddhist and anti-Buddhism factions, it was successful in establishing its foundations in Japan and subsequently changed the political structure, technological fields and brought in a myriad of sophisticated cultural practices like dance, music, a new writing system and also Buddhist art, that have undoubtedly had a greater impact on the Japanese culture as a whole.

‘Matsuri’ – THE CULTURAL FESTIVALS OF JAPAN

A very important and lively aspect of Japanese culture, is the many number of ‘matsuri’ or the cultural festivals, which bring in cheerful spirits for the native population, who often enjoy the festivities wearing colourful and mostly, traditional clothes and getting involved in the activities the festivals are known for. Research suggests that Japan witnesses as many as 200-300 festivals in a year, all of which are big, fun and crowded events, and are deeply entrenched within the Japanese Culture.

These festivals which occur over the course of a year, differ greatly in terms of the season in which they occur.

SUMMER: The festivals in summer are known worldwide for their use of fireworks or what the Japanese call, Hanabi. These fireworks light up the sky in bright colours and the people often dressed in their Yukatas and Kimonos,  gather in large numbers to watch the show.

Summer Fireworks in Fukuoka

SPRING: In Spring, the Cherry blossoms or Sakura trees turn pink which in itself is a site of majestic beauty. The spring festivals are centered around these trees, where people from different regions come and enjoy activities under the cherry blossoms either in a park, a castle, etc. The Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival is perhaps one of the most famous of such festivals that are conducted in Japan.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Tokyo during spring

WINTER AND FALL: Besides Summer and Spring, cultural festivals of unique natures are also practiced in Winters and Fall. In winter, for instance, the Sapporo Snow Festival and Nozawa festival attract thousands of visitors and so does the Fujiwara Autumn Festival in fall.

Nozawa Fire Festival

The festivals, therefore, are of varied nature, some being calm and peaceful, where people visit shrines and temples, while others are lively events for the Japanese to enjoy with their loved ones.

What role have ANIME and MANGA played in Japanese culture?  

Anime, as the name suggests, is Japanese animation which is either hand-drawn or computer-animated. The diverse fan base of Anime, which is worldwide,is perhaps because of it’s very distinct characteristics that distinguish it from animation produced in any other parts of the world. Manga, on the other hand, are more like Japanese comics or Graphic novels which are read from right to left, while western comics can only be read left to right. Often, those mangas which are able to acquire a large fan base, like Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Haikyu, etc, are converted into anime. Both Anime and Manga, over the years have become a very crucial aspect of Japanese culture.                                            

Still from Grave of the Fireflies (1980)

Manga Comic

The unconventionality associated with anime and manga, is perhaps a contributor to it’s popularity among adults, and not just kids. These stories that are available in all genres like action, romance, slice of life, rom-com, supernatural, horror, etc, break the notion that anime is meant only for kids. The fan base remain hooked on each episode or chapter, due to the unpredictability of what might happen next.

In Japan, anime and Manga, has become a way of life for ‘Otakus’ (which however is an offensive word for the Japanese) a term used for those hardcore fans of these elements, to the extent that they give up their social lives and withdraw into their homes watching anime and playing video games. The emotional attachment to these forms of entertainment becomes evident when numerous instances of funerals held for anime characters come into light. But anime in Japan is not only limited to the private sphere. It’s presence is abundant everywhere, on trains, buses, advertisements, etc. Moreover, anime and manga also provide a deep insight into Japanese culture, in both covert and overt ways. Most animes have episodes dedicated to the cultural festivals, fireworks, cherry blossoms, otaku culture, Japanese way of living, tea ceremonies and so on. The town of Akihabara near Tokyo, is believed to be the Anime centre, the streets of which are lined with numerous anime shops selling anime merchandise of various kinds. There are also many themed cafes like maid and butler cafes, which attract a lot of tourists. Even outside Akihabara, it is not uncommon to find many huge or life-size statues that give tribute to anime characters and their creators. Anime themed parks, which are a sight of awe for tourists as well as the natives are also abundant in Japan, the most famous of them being the Naruto theme park, Attack on Titans theme park, etc. Often, streets of Japan are also lined with cosplayers, impersonating characters from famous animes. In fact, cosplaying is also an important part of Japanese culture, which has immense importance, as evident by the numerous cosplay competitions held throughout the nation. Anime conventions are also likely events in Japan which are attended by Anime fans from Japan and all over the world.

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE, CUISINE AND ATTIRE

Traditional Japanese Architecture is attributed to a distinct aesthetic, that can be attributed to some unique characteristics used in the making of these homes. The dominant feature of traditional Japanese homes is wood, that is preferred in the making of the house over other materials such as stone, perhaps owing to the unpredictability brought about by earthquakes. Wood is respected by the Japanese to the extent that the wood in homes remain in their natural forms and is not concealed by paint. The doors in these houses are fusuma, or sliding doors while the windows are movable screens (shoji). The floors in Japanese houses are covered with tatami mats, made with straw, that along with the wood provides a distinct smell to the traditional Japanese houses. Outside the houses, are what may be called verandahs, which are a wooden extension to the house, which are often elevated from the ground, sometimes covered with shutters.

Japanese cuisine basically comprises of regional and traditional foods, and primarily focuses on combining steamed rice (gohan) which is their staple with one or more main and side dishes and miso soup or pickles. While this typically describes the traditional meal, there are also many other variants of food that the Japanese are known for like, Sushi, Ramen, tempura, Curry rice, Yakitori, etc.

Sushi

The traditional attires of Japanese men and women, like all other aspects of culture, are also varied. The Japanese Kimono is the most iconic and famous traditional piece of clothing in Japan. Yukata is another traditional attire, which is mainly dorned during summer, due to the breezy material, unlike Kimono which are reserved for more fancy and formal occasions. Other pieces of traditional Japanese clothing include Haori, Jinbei, Hakama, etc.

Traditional Japanese Clothing

Japanese women donning Kimono

INDIA AND JAPAN – THE CULTURAL TIES

India and Japan have continued to maintain strong cultural ties, ever since the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, from India. The countries have often engaged in mutual cultural exchanges and also follow some similar cultural traditions and ideas along with Buddhism, like the commitment to Democracy, pluralism, open societies, tolerance, etc. The Namaste India Festival which is held in Tokyo every year is aimed at realizing the agreement between the two countries about holding cultural festivals, on 2007, which marked the 50^th anniversary of the Indo-Japan cultural agreement. These festivals aim at bringing an insight of each country’s culture, that includes food, music, souvenirs, clothes, etc, to the other.

PM Narendra Modi with PM Shinzo Abe performing Ganga Arti in Varanasi

CONCLUSION

The above quote by Hector Garcia, in  ‘Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life’ therefore sums up the very dynamic and cheerful  Japanese culture, which has fascinated many souls over the years. Therefore, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Japanese culture which comes to life in it’s cultural festivals, anime, cuisine, architecture, an unbreakable link with nature and various other quirky things that people associate with Japan have been able to become an object of awe and interest for people all over the world.

“The Japanese are skilled at bringing nature and technology together: not man versus nature, but rather a union of the two.”

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With that framework, the minority population established segregation among housing, education, and all spheres of life, creating three nations: one of the whites [comprising of people groups essentially of British and Dutch [Boer] family line, who battled for ages to increase political supremacy, a battle that arrived at its violent peak with the South African War of 1899–1902); one of the blacks (comprising of such people groups as the San hunter and gatherers of the north-western desert, the Zulu herders of the eastern levels, and the Khoekhoe ranchers of the southern Cape districts); and one of “Coloureds” (blended race individuals) and ethnic Asians (Indians, Malays, Filipinos, and Chinese).

The politically-sanctioned racial segregation system was despised and even fervently opposed by much of the world, and by the mid-1980s South Africa ended up among the world’s pariah states, the subject of financial and social blacklists that influenced pretty much every part of life. In the need compelled to stand up to the unsound idea of ethnic separatism in a multicultural land, the South African government of F.W.de Klerk (1989-94) started to rescind politically-sanctioned racial segregation laws. That procedure thusly set moving a change towards universal suffrage and true electoral democracy, which finished in the 1994 election which the appointed the long-imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela. This change witnessed the nation gaining social equality in a brief timeframe. South Africa has three cities that serve as its capital: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). 

ECONOMY

The economy of South Africa took a drastic turn in the late 19^th century when jewels and gold were found there, followed by large investments from foreign capitals. In the years after World War II, the nation formed a much-developed manufacturing base and encountered exceptional development rates, and at that time its development rated were most noteworthy in the world.

However, South Africa has encountered economic problems since the late 1970s because of the apartheid policies which led may countries to holdback investments and to impose international restrictions against it. South Africa’s economy didn’t quickly bounce back in the mid-1990s while apartheid was being disassembled, as capitalists held on to perceive what might occur. After the 1994 democratic elections, the investments poured in. Post-apartheid South Africa was then confronted with the issue of incorporating the recently disappointed and mistreated greater part into the economy.

In 1996 the legislature made a five-year plan—Growth, Employment, and Redistribution (GEAR)— that concentrated on privatization and the evacuation of trade controls. GEAR was successful in accomplishing a portion of its objectives yet was hailed by some as establishing a significant framework for future financial advancement. The government additionally executed new laws and projects intended to improve the monetary circumstance of the underestimated larger part. The Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) was introduced, it aimed to increase employment opportunities for those who were characterized under apartheid as black, coloured, and Indians, enhancing their working skills and incomes. This strategy was further extended through the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act of 2003, which attended to gender, social and racial inequality.

RESOURCES AND POWER 

South Africa is plentiful in an assortment of minerals. Other than diamonds and gold it also has a reserve for iron ore, platinum, manganese, chromium, copper, uranium, silver, beryllium, and titanium. Despite the fact that manufacturing has provided employment for decades, contributing towards the Gross Development Product (GDP) than mining, the mining segment keeps on shaping the centre of the South African economy as it holds companies to invest in other economic activities. Gold remains the most significant mineral—South Africa is the world’s largest producers—and stores are enormous; in any case, creation is gradually declining, and costs have never risen to their stupendous highs of the mid-1970s.

EDUCATION 

Since 1994, South Africa has made incredible walks in understanding the right to education, quickly fabricating an effective, available and quality education system for youngsters and youths. This outstanding advancement has been recorded over the three parts of fundamental training in youth improvement, primary and secondary education. However, notwithstanding these accomplishments, the possibilities and openings stood to kids in South Africa are still generally dependent upon which side of the inequality they were born. Poverty and Inequality stay cruel determinants, forestalling such huge numbers of kids from getting to the fundamental education that they deserve.

From birth to the last year of high school, kids born in poor family face a lot of challenges, which their co-students coming from a wealthy background may not. While access to ECD centres has expanded, the nature of learning and development programmes remain at test. An underqualified workforce paired with the poor implementation of the learning programmes sways ECD results. While giving quality learning and basic education has its difficulties, keeping youngsters in school to finish their education is another. A little more than a fourth of South Africa’s total children drop out of school before the finish of Matric – most of whom are from helpless territories and defenceless against various boundaries to education. This disparity of access is compounded by a sexual orientation imbalance that impacts little youngsters particularly.

SOUTH AFRICA AND ITS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is answerable for South African foreign policy strategies. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducts contact with foreign governments and international associations on all issues influencing official relations. These relations are led through foreign government authorities, through representatives licensed to South Africa, and through South Africa’s authorized embassies, departments, and different missions abroad. Until the mid-1990s, the DFA and the conciliatory corps went up against various counter-establishment “strategic administrations” run by antiapartheid associations in a state of banishment, particularly the ANC. The point of these equal correspondence channels was to disconnect the South African government inside the global network as a method for forcing Pretoria to abrogate apartheid. 

After the abrogation of apartheid and the initiation of the democratically chosen Government of National Unity, South Africa’s foreign relations significantly transformed. The nation’s discretionary segregation finished, and existing relations with different nations and with international associations improved. South Africa restored discretionary and trade relations with numerous nations, especially in Africa, and set up new relations with some previous approvals “hardliners”, for example, India, Pakistan, Bahrain, Malaysia, Jordan, Libya, and Cuba. A few provincial and international associations welcomed South Africa to join or to renew its membership, including the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the United Nations (UN).

In addition, South Africa participated in international and bilateral sport, academic, and scientific activities, often for the first time in decades. Relations with the nations of the previous Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Central Europe improved. South Africa had full political binds with thirty-nine nations in 1990; that number expanded to sixty-nine out of 1993, and to a maximum of 147 in 1995. Various foreign policies were brought into action before Nelson Mandela was appointed as President in 1994, for example, in mid-1994 de Klerk and Mandela, alongside the leaders of Botswana and Zimbabwe, interceded a conclusion to a military revolt in neighbouring Lesotho. In mid-1994, South Africa gave its first help to a UN peacekeeping activity when it provided medical clinic hardware for Rwanda. Likewise, in 1994, President Mandela consented to help settle the unmanageable common war in Angola, although he advised against unrealistically high expectations in this and other profound established political and ethnic clashes.

INDIA- SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS

India’s relationship with South Africa is both fundamental and remarkable, going back a few centuries and is tied down in common ideals, ideas, interests, and icons – like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. In any case, their respective relationship stayed stressed for quite a while because of South Africa’s apartheid government. After its independence, India began its struggle for the position at international associations like United Nations (UN), Commonwealth, and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and was the main nation to have trade relations 1946, and in this way forced political and financial assets. Following a hole of four decades, India restored exchange and business ties in 1993, after South Africa finished its standardized racial isolation. In May 1993, a Cultural Centre was opened in Johannesburg. In November 1993, strategic and consular relations were re-established during the visit of then South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha to India. The Indian High Commission in Pretoria was opened in May 1994. In 1996, India opened its permanent Office of High Commission in Cape Town, which was re-assigned as Consulate General of India in 2011.

India and South Africa’s shared basic encounters and aggregate quality have formed how the two of them see the world together. As two countries who have shared their battle to independence, the obligation to improve the lives of others is inserted inside India and South Africa’s consciousness. After South Africa established democracy in 1994, it was the Red Fort Declaration on Strategic Partnership among India and South Africa, marked in March 1997 by then PM Shri Deve Gowda and Nelson Mandela, which set the boundaries for a revived relationship. The twentieth commemoration of marking of the revelation was honoured by an India-South African social spectacle involving music and dance performances, and an occasion composed by High Commission of India, Pretoria on April 9, 2017. This Strategic Partnership between the two nations was again re-certified in the Tshwane Declaration (October 2006). Both these announcements have been instrumental components that have contributed in the past to both South Africa and India for accomplishing their national objectives.

List of MoUs signed during the 10^th BRICS Summit, signed between India and South Africa were;

• Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India and the Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa on Agricultural Research and Education.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Government of the Republic of South Africa and Government of India regarding the setting up of the “Gandhi Mandela Centre of Specialisation in Artisan Skills” in South Africa.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Space Research Organisation and the South African National Space Agency on Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes.

South Africa can use its diplomacy not only at governmental but also as a non-governmental level. Utilizing scholastics and specialists outside of government to “include” information and ability to South African discretion, have gotten progressively normal. It is to be trusted that this training will proceed to help give what is expected to compelling interest in an inexorably intricate world. Thorough training of professional diplomats is, however, not unimportant either, and such persons should be retained for the foreign service to establish an ever-growing pool of experience in the DFA. These are on the whole parts of the “small scale level” of strategy and fundamental if the nation is to prevail at the global level. 

Moreover, thought should be given to the decision of various types of diplomacy and their blend; an inappropriate decision can have genuine results, as the Nigerian debacle would delineate. The topic of what balance ought to be kept up among respective and multilateral discretion has been raised; summitry should be utilized wisely; a fitting job for innovation in diplomacy should be discovered; the degree to which the nine areas or locales in South Africa can be permitted to lead their foreign relations should be considered; and, troublesome decisions should be made in regards to accentuation on various regions. Prioritising in diplomacy appears to be unavoidable as the conceivable outcomes are practically unfathomable, though the assets are quite restricted. This isn’t a difficult extraordinary to South Africa. 

The South African government is no world-exhausted system which has seen everything previously, but a youthful, excited organization anxious to show its gifts and beliefs. The government believes in the excellencies of relationship, co-activity and human qualities. It has understood that the present chiefs should be acceptable ambassadors who can adjust domestic and international pressure, who can make arrangements, and resolve debates, characterizing the interests of their states in harmonious manners.

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The United States always had friendly relations with India which remained the same even after independence. In the late 1940s, Henry S. Truman, the then president of the U.S. inclined interest towards supporting India as a result of most strategic planners considered India as a valuable diplomat in south-east Asia. The U.S. was obviously expecting India to be on its side in the ongoing Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. However, Nehru govt continued to follow the policy of neutrality and non-alignment based on national-interest and to avoid the involvement in Cold War strategic manoeuver. 

Truman administration indicated it would favour Nehru anything he asked for. He proudly refused and thereby forfeited the chance for a gift of one million tons of wheat. American officials obviously perceived it negatively and created issues but not for long as India backed the USA in 1950 United Nations denouncing North Korea’s barbarity in the Korean War. We continued with quite favourable relations with the USA. First time since Indian independence, the US provided $1.7B in aid as well as $931M worth of food supplies. In 1959, Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first US President to visit India to strengthen the pitch between the two nations. In 1961, the US promised $1B in development loans, including $1.3B of free food (source).

Later, the JFK administration considered India a strategic ally and reinforced during the 1962 Sino-Indian war(source). In defence of India, Kennedy stated, “We should defend India, and therefore we will defend India.”

A National Security Council meeting held in May 1963, US officials discussed contingency planning that could be approached in the event of another Chinese attack on India. Defence Secretary Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor advised the president to use nuclear weapons should the Americans intervene in such a situation(source). 

Prominent economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Kennedy’s ambassador to India considered close to India. As an economist, he also authorised over the (of that period) largest US foreign aid program to any ally. He also helped in the formation of the first computer science department of India, at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur.

Post Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, India-US relations worsened abruptly. In the early 1970s, terms went to an all-time low under the Richard Nixon administration as India was now under the leadership of Indira Gandhi. Nixon considered Pakistan as an important partner to oppose Soviet power in the Indian subcontinent and set up links with China, with whom Pakistan had favourable relations. During the first Indo-Pak war, in 1971, the USA openly supported Pakistan by aiding them in terms of defence and economy. He Infracted away from the neutral stand which his forerunner had adopted towards Indo-Pak conflict.

NDA Govt & Nuclear Weapon Test 

In the late 1970s, the newly formed Janata Party came into power with leader Morarji Desai who became the Prime Minister and over the time India improved its relations with the US, now under the presidency of Jimmy Carter. In 1974, India performed its first nuclear test, Smiling Buddha, which was rebuked by the US, it also cleared that the test did not contravene any agreement. Later, President Jimmy Carter inked an order in 1978 barring nuclear material from being exported to India due to India’s non-proliferation record(source).

The Reagan Administration equipped limited assistance to India. India expressed interest on the purchase of a range of US defence technology, counting F-5 aircraft, radar, night vision goggles and supercomputer. In 1984 Washington permitted the supply of selected technology to India including engines for prototypes for combat aircraft and gas turbines for naval frigates.

In the late 1990s, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee again came into power and he granted permission for nuclear weapons testing at Pokhran. The United States vehemently reprimanded this testing and voted in favour of a United Nations Security Council Resolution condemning the tests. President Bill Clinton imposed economic sanctions on India under the terms of the 1994 Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act(source). 

Including suspending all military and economic aid, rejecting loans by US banks to state-owned Indian companies, embargo on loans to the Indian government for all except food purchases, restraining US aerospace technology and uranium exports to India and forced other nations to oppose all loan requests by India to international lending agencies. However, these sanctions were found inefficient as India was undergoing through a strong economic growth (after the introduction of LPG), and its trade with the US only comprised a small amount of its GDP. While only Japan joined the US, while most other nations continued to trade with India. Non-proliferation dialogue widened many gaps between both countries. The sanctions were soon lifted in late September 2001. Subsequently, the Clinton administration and Prime Minister Vajpayee exchanged representatives to help rebound relations.

In December 2006, the US council passed the historic India–US Civilian Nuclear Agreement (Henry J. Hyde India-US Peaceful Atomic Cooperation Act), which allows direct civilian nuclear trade with India for the first time in 30 years. US policy had been opposed to nuclear cooperation with India in preceding years because India had developed nuclear weapons against international conventions and had never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The ratification clears the way for India to purchase US nuclear reactors and fuel for civilian use.

India–US Civil Nuclear Agreement also pointed to as the “123 Agreement”, signed on 10 October 2008 is a bilateral contract for peaceful nuclear cooperation which governs civil nuclear trade between US and Indian firms to partake in each other’s civil nuclear energy sector. For the contract to be viable, nuclear suppliers and operatives must comply with India’s 2010 Nuclear Liability Act which specified that nuclear suppliers, contractors and operators must bear financial responsibility in case of an accident(source).

India rose in the 21st century as increasingly vital to core US foreign policy interests. India, a dominant player in its ground, and the home of more than one billion citizens is now often identified as a nascent Great Power and a “crucial ally” of the US also many analysts view it as a potential counterbalance to the growing clout of China. During the tenure of the George W. Bush administration, relations between India-US were seen to have bloomed. President Bush said, “India is a great representative of democracy. It is devout, has diverse religious heads, but everyone is comfortable about their religion. The world needs India”. In March 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton visited India, pledging bilateral and economic discussions with Prime Minister Vajpayee. The visit also resulted in the foundation of the Indo-US Science & Technology Forum(source).  After the 9/11 attack against the US in 2001, President George W. Bush worked closely with India in constraining and policing the strategically critical Indian Ocean sea lanes from the Suez Canal to Singapore.

India-US Economic Growth & Strategic Partnership 

After the December 2004 tsunami, the US and Indian navies cooperated in search and rescue operations and within the reconstruction of affected areas. Since 2004, Washington and New Delhi have been proceeding a “strategic partnership” that supports shared values and usually convergent geopolitical interests. Further global, security and economic initiatives were undertaken into consideration. Moreover in 2005, with the goal of expanding bilateral security cooperation, the United States and India signed a ten-year defence framework deal. The two countries involved in numerous and extraordinary joint military exercises and significant US arms sales to India were arranged. In April 2005, An Open Skies Agreement was signed to enhancing business, tourism and trade by the increased number of flights, and Air India purchased 68 US Boeing aircraft at a cost of $8 billion(source). A bilateral Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation was lockdown in 2005. After Hurricane Katrina, India donated $5 million to the American Red Cross and sent two planeloads of relief supplies and materials to help(source). Subsequently, on 1 March 2006, President Bush made another strategic visit to India to further expand relations.

Between 2004 to 2008, the value of all bilateral trade tripled and continues to grow, while significant two-way investment also grew and flourished.The influence of a large Indian-US community was indicated in the largest country-specific caucus in the United States Congress, while between 2009–2010 more than 100,000 Indian students have attended American colleges and universities(source).

In November 2010, President Barack Obama made a visit to India, in November 2010, and addressed a joint assembly of the Indian Parliament, where he upheld India’s request for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council(source).

India-US Strategic Bilateral and military determinants

In March 2009, The Obama Administration approved the sales of eight P-8 Poseidons worth US $2.1B to India, another deal of the $5B agreement to provide Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft and General Electric F414 engines signed during Obama’s November 2010 visit, made the US one of the top three military suppliers to India(after Israel and Russia).(source)

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has urged stronger military links between India and the United States, and said that “India has emerged as an increasingly important strategic partner [of the US]”. US Undersecretary of State William Joseph Burns also stated, “Never has there been a moment when India and US meant more to each other.”  On August 1, 2012, The Deputy Secretary of Defence, Ashton Carter, through his address to the Asia Society in New York said that India–US relationship has a global expanse, in terms of the reach and influence of both countries. He also mentioned that both countries are strengthening the relations between their defence and research & development organisations(source).

In June 2010, the United States and India re-involved in the India-US Strategic Dialogue started under Bush administration. Strategic Dialogue delivered a mutual statement in which the two countries promised to develop people-to-people, business-to-business, and government-to-government ties for mutual interests, stability, economic growth and prosperity of both nations(.

It drew extensive bilateral initiatives in each of 10 chief areas: 

• Advancing global security and countering terrorism,
• Disarmament and nonproliferation, 
• Trade and economic relations, 
• High technology, 
• Energy security, clean energy, and climate change, 
• Agriculture, 
• Education, 
• Health, 
• Science and technology, and 
• Development.

(source)

Obama announced US support for India’s permanent membership on the UN Security Council in a major policy change. Calling the India–US relationship “a defining partnership of the 21st century”, he also declared the discharge of restrictions over export control on Indian companies and closed trade deals worth $10B, expected to generate 50,000 jobs in the US(source).

According to U.S. Census data, Indians have dominated every other ethnic group pertained to knowledge-based income creation. Indian American households are the most flourishing in the US with median revenue of US $100k followed by Chinese Americans at US$65k. The average household revenue in the USA is US$50k.

2014 Onwards…

On 26 May 2014, Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India. Since then, Modi has travelled many times to the USA for bilateral talks, diplomatic strategies and economic welfare of both countries. US President Barak Obama made a reciprocal visit in India and became the first US president to be the chief guest of the 66th Republic Day celebrations of India held on 26 January 201. India-US held their first-ever bilateral dialogue on the UN and multilateral issues(source). Modi toured the Silicon Valley met with entrepreneurs and several American business leaders and invited them to join ambitious Make in India program in an endeavour to make India a manufacturing hub. On 8 November 2017, the US had pledged a grant of nearly US$500k for organisations which can come up with ideas and projects to promote religious freedom in India and Sri Lanka.

In October 2018, India signed the historic deal worth US$5.43B with Russia neglecting  CAATSA Act to buy four S-400 Triumf intercontinental ballistic missile defence system, the most powerful missile defence system in the world. The U.S. threatened India with sanctions over this decision(source). The United States also warned India with sanctions over the purchase of oil from Iran.

Recently, in February 2020, US President Donald Trump visited India. In his maiden visit to both nations significantly ramped up bilateral relations mainly in strategic ties and defence(source).

India-US Armed Forces Relation

The US follows four fundamental protocols with its defence allies described as “routine instruments that the US uses to promote military cooperation with partner-nations” are:

1. General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) – It allows the sharing of military intelligence between the two countries and instructs each country to protect the others’ classified information.) In 2002, India and the U.S. locked a deal on it.

2. Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) – The LEMOA allows the military of either country to use others’ bases for re-supplying or carrying out repairs. The agreement does not stipulate logistical support merging on either country and demands individual approval for each request. It was signed by the two countries on 29 August 2016.

3. Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) -It is an India-specific alternative of Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) that allows both countries to share sound and reliable communication and exchange information on approved facilities during bilateral and multinational training exercises and operations. It was signed during the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in September 2018.

4. Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) – It allows the transfer of unclassified and controlled unclassified geospatial products, topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data, products and services between India-US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). 

India-US Trading Partnership 

The USA is India’s second-largest trading partner while India is its 9th largest trading partner. In 2019, the total value of India-US trade has hit $92.08 billion over 5% from 2018. according to US Census Bureau data, India exported $57.7B (rose 5.99% since last year) worth of goods to India and India imported $34.4B worth goods from the USA in 2019.

The United States is also India’s largest investment partner, with a direct investment $25.6 billion between April 2000 to March 2019 (accounting for 6.1% of total foreign investment in India).

The USA is becoming India’s major oil supplier in the last two years. After acceding with US sanctions on Iran, India has discontinued crude oil import from the Gulf nations from June 2019, onwards. Concurrently data shows, US crude supply has risen 96% in a year. India imported 87% more oil in 2019 more than $5.64B last year(source).

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