Poge Four

rHE MICHIGAN DAILY

Sundaov MA~ 20 _1 95E

PoflFoymuy H MICIA AL


FOREIGN POLICY
An Indian Journalist Provides Some Observations About His Country's
Behavior in the Arena of World Politics

By ROBI CHAKRAVORTI
"IS NEHRU a communist?"
This is as expected a question
for a visitor from India as the
frequently - fired double - barrel:
"How do you like this country?"
and "Do you want to go back?"
You can answer the last two
questions as you might tackle a
quiz-with yes or no, or as is often-
er the case, with both.
But the first question cannot be
answered with a "few well-chosen
words ," because it goes beyond

personal, emotional reactions and
enters- an area which is the grid-
iron of political experts. It Involv-
es a careful assessment of factors,
seen and unseen, understood and
misunderstood, ,-ich make the
complex web of international rela-
tions .
Nehru is dubbed communist, be-
cause his foreign policy appears
"soft" toward international com-
munism. Prime Minister of country
X, on the other hand, is applauded
i as the "brave defender of democ-

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acy" because of the Aimple fact India's foreign policy over coffee the fact is that India has been able
hat he has signed a military pact or beer tend to take a "moralistic" to achieve a significant position
ith the United States or some approach. An Indian is apt to among similarly situated countries
Nestern Power, speak in terms of Gandhi's spirit- of the world as well as in relation
ual heritage and an American is to the polarised power-centers in
SThis isd viewingthe risdoemoc'tp-ic most likely to take an emotionally the world. Part of this can be
nd sould b calledy so, decraue disapprobating attitude regarding attributed to the political stability
tnd should be called so, aecause any "softness" towards totalitarian it has been blessed with comoared
s litalstitutions eru communist forces to other Asian countries. Tndia's
Memocratic linesaandsnot en use foreign ptiny is certainly anether
t happens to follow the tortuous Moralistic approaches to an an-significantactor
ourse of the foreign policy of an- alysis of India's foreign policy
ther country. Foreign policy is, hardly explain the phenomen of HETHER India's foreign policy
fter all, only part of the whole "neutralism," which is spreadingW i.o.
icture. It is the cornice-political like wildfire all over Asia, forcing events can tel w , rig t noit
nstitutions within the country are Washington to s ift with the times. is an indisputable fact, that it has
ts foundation. Various other factors converge to succeeded to a phenomenal degree,
produce what is popularly called judging from the fact that both
F YOU look at India bottom "neutralism." Washington and the Kremlin are
upwards rather than upside The first is a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. wooing New Delhi through diplo-
town, the following facts will Hyde" view of the West and the matic and economic blandishments.
merge: U.S. The West, led by the U.S. Judged from the viewpoint of suc-
1. It has a democratic constitu- presents a double face to the vast cess and the spirit of pioneering
ion, which guarantees private and populous Afro-Asian world - individualism, two major elements
troperty rights and freedom of ex- with the Western countries' demo- in the American value-system, In-
ression. cratic internal policies and un- dia's foreign policy has scored.
2. It has a democratically elect- democratic, colonial and racial at-
d legislature, the last general elec- titude in external areas. To an
dleslature, at geer elc Asian intellectual, the West is {w. x ,
ions in 1951-52, with over 160 looked upon much like the Rbrt v v-...""-' t"..s ~ '"
nillion electorate: the largest dem- L Seenon muhro, wh w .WTY
cratic elections ever held in his- L. Stevenson hero, who was a WEAR IT TO YOUR
gory. suave, decent gentleman in day- w.HEARTS CONTENT
time, but turned a murderer at AND WASH IT
3. The executive, legislature night, AT LEISURE I
.nd the judiciary e separate en- The hesitant and cool acceptance;
ities in the excellent British tradi- of the West as the flag-tarer of
ion, guaranteeing political liber- "democracy" changes the whole
les to a degree enjoyed by few picture of cold war from a sharp
ndependent countries n Asia to- black-and-white pattern to a
ay, hodge-podge policy of gray shad-
4. Communists enjoy liberty ings. The ideological overtones of LEISURE COAT
he same way as other political the global struggle acquire more
parties do, so long as they work than two dimensions in the Indian
inder the constitutional frame- mind, with various factors, like
work. The present Indian Admin- colonialism, apartheid in South Af-
stration's attitude towards com- rica, color bar in this country con-
nunists will remind an American fusing the otherwise clear picture
f the U.S. Supreme Court Justice of democratic knights in shiny
Holmes' famous dictum, "clear and armor fighting the dark heathens $ 95
present danger." According to this of communism.
ictum, the communist party was
tanned in 1949-50 in some states, THE predominant American view
when they adopted the violent is to treat "democratic" and
verthrow of the government as "dictorial" force in terms of ar.
heir immediate aim. The ban was geographical pattern, with "iron
ifted when they gave up the policy curtain" as the dividing line; the
prior to general elections in 1951- typical Indian attitude is to view
the struggle as cutting across neat
India is, thus, as close to the geographical lines. An Indian
U.S. as Britain and France aie, looks at the cold war as if he is
rom the viewpoint of domestic viewing a Picasso cub stic paint-
political functioning. In internal in; an American, on the other
political structure, Nehru is not, hand, tends to view international
therefore, a communist. It is only affairs as if he is confronted with
n the field of international rela- a representational painting drawn
Lions-the "cornice" of the whole by a local artist.
structure-that he appears "soft" Looking from another angle, the
towards communists. difference can be explained as a
difference in emphasis. The United
AN AVERAGE Indian and an States, at least until the recent
averag cAmerican discussing shift in Kremlin policies, has
viewed the communist danger as
Mr. Chakravorti is an Indian primarily a military threat. To an
ournalist who was awarded the Indian foreign official, it is an,
University Press Club of Michi- ideological threat, the military
gan Foreign Journalism Fel- threat being only marginal.
lowship in 1954. He studied for From a pragmatical point of
one year in the University's view, India's "neutralist" policy
journalism department a n d can be described as a shrewd use The most Versotile
spentanother year interning on of its geographical strategic posi- Coot you ever hod
Michiganonewspapers. rie is tion and tremendous power poten-
now returning to his native tial for a clever bargaining on the G
India, where he plans to con- diplomatic counters of the inter-
tinue with newspaper writing. national arena.
Whichever way you look at it, Adwhatsmore

4

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