BOOK REVIEW: CHOICES

Over the last two decades, India has continuously emerged as a key player in global affairs. Considering India’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, its diplomatic gesture is constantly evolving even today. The current neutral posture of the country and reiteration of the term strategic autonomy is not a new phenomenon in India’s foreign policy. Since independence, Indian policy makers have shown their resilience in critical situations. The book “Choices: Inside the making of Indian foreign policy”, written by Shivshankar Menon, a diplomat and the former national Security adviser of India under PM Manmohan Singh, has elaborated some of those instances. Despite the availability of different choices, Indian foreign policy makers have evaluated the available options with strategic caution and larger geopolitical spectrum. The book represents five historical and crucial diplomatic choices for decision-making, which shaped India’s fundamental foreign policy outlook for the upcoming decades. The author has selected five policy choices, which he was directly associated with and had hands-on experience either as a diplomat or as a national security adviser of the country.

Through the lucid language and detailed account of the reasons and processes Mr. Menon, has tried to examine India’s crucial foreign policy choices using the lens of an ‘either-or’ situation. The incidents of India-China Peace agreement, Civil nuclear deal with the US as well as India’s response to the 26/11 Mumbai attack were some of the watershed moments, where India had to opt either for a strict ground action or to maintain the status-quo with persuasion of a peaceful solution. The book's title ‘Choices’ correctly implies the broader subject matter of the book. The rationale behind those five choices- beautifully narrated by the author has made the book not merely a fact-checking document, but a thorough assessment of government’s ability to pursue India’s long-term strategic gain. The book consists of six chapters with an insightful description of five critical choices in India’s foreign policy.

The first chapter “1993 Border Peace and Tranquillity Agreement with China” subtly explained the choices India had in terms of seeking a stabilised border with China or prepare for a long-term confrontation across the McMohan line, while simultaneously fighting with the economic reforms. The collapse of the USSR was a clear indication that both countries had to accommodate the new US-led world order and this, in turn, made the negotiations possible. While India started to face difficulties immediately after the collapse of an all-weather friend USSR, China’s dilemma for rapprochement with the West had brought both countries into the same track. During that time, the US’s support for Pakistan also created a rift between India-US relations. India’s economic turmoil compelled it to open the market to the West, while China’s hostility needed to be kept in check to focus on the economic development of the country.  The incredible journey through the turmoil of bilateral push and shove over the choices of a stable border has become crucial for India to make a worthwhile decision. With special focus on the administrative handling of the border policy rather than seeking a political solution had helped to deal with the difficult neighbour. Lastly, the author argued that this agreement is the major reason the India-China border has been the most peaceful border in the last three decades. However, since 2020, the Galwan Valley clash has reignited old wounds in the India-China border ambiguity. Successive high officials’ dialogues between the two sides for seeking a solution and restoring the status quo before the clash have not shown any positive outcome. 

The second chapter “Civil Nuclear Initiative with the United States” is about the strategic choice of India with regard to changing the landscape of India-US relations. India’s interest in this deal was mainly factored around the fact that it was not willing to keep an arm's length distance from the then sole surviving superpower (the US), whereas the US tried to redefine the civilian use of nuclear power. The cloud of criticism surrounding the nuclear deal often puts a question mark on the US’s reliability for the nuclear matter. The author specifically acknowledges the perseverance skill of the then PM Manmohan Singh. The author's stance is that the deal was not merely for India’s energy security, but also it was the initiation of the path breaking and constant bilateral strategic and defence collaboration with the US. The former national security adviser Mr. Menon specifically mentioned about Section 123 of the agreement, which was described as the toughest phase in the entire process. The path- breaking success of this initiative gives the scope for enhancing the India-US bilateral partnership, which significantly flourished afterwards.

In the third chapter “Restraint or Riposte”- the author evaluates the decision of New Delhi not to respond militarily after the 26/11 Mumbai attack. The presumable brevity against the terrorists, who killed many innocents during the attack, has called for a proportional retaliation from Indian side. However, the South Block of Delhi thought of the long-term strategic interest of India. According to Ambassador Menon, India was familiar with the passive reaction from the United Nations on the Kashmir issue since independence. The author argued that India’s past experiences of ‘ho-hum’ reaction by the UNSC on the Kashmir issue could not solve such a complex issue. New Delhi finds it comparative gain in bringing together the opinion of the international community as an anti-Pakistan force rather than just showing the world another bilateral confrontation between the two nuclear states. 

The fourth chapter focuses on “India’s intervention in Sri Lanka’s civil war”. This is an all-weather debated topic for the Indians. With a brief background on the communal division created by the British Raj, the author attempts to explain the origin of the increasing Tamil separatism. Having served as foreign secretary, with insights into policy choices, Mr. Menon clearly states the dilemma of choosing New Delhi’s available options with careful considerations about the domestic Tamil sentiments. Post the assassination of India’s former PM Rajiv Gandhi and considering Sri Lanka’s strategic location, New Delhi’s position was made clear that it was a priority to minimize the harm to civilians, which was somehow agreed upon by the then Rajapaksa government. In conclusion of the chapter, the author criticizes the Sri Lankan government for its reluctance to address the Tamilian question but appraised India’s move with minimum loss and maximum gain. 

The fifth chapter addresses a contemporary query regarding the “India’s no first use policy”. Referring to India’s nuclear doctrine as the ‘currency of power’, the author points out that India’s nuclear weapons are for defensive purposes. India’s nuclear doctrine becomes a useful political tool given the direct borders New Delhi shares with few hostile and nuclear-capable neighbours. The nuclear capability increases India’s confidence and sense of security; thus India can focus on economic growth in the later decades. India’s nuclear arsenal is to deter the other’s attack and the reiteration of assured retaliation is a wise strategy to address the external threats from the immediate neighbours. The author also acknowledges the doctrine as being one of the most sensible and effective doctrine of India.To support this claim the author mentions that since 1998, there have been no nuclear threats from hostile neighbours. India’s nuclear doctrine, as the author concludes is a proportional combination of assured retaliation with a serious commitment to the ‘no first use’ dictum.  In the “Final Word”, the concluding chapter, Mr. Menon explicitly backed the five policy choices of the government and said that there is no ultimate answer, but diplomatic choices are the wise calculation of possibilities and consequences. Mr. Menon, as a foreign policy practitioner, opined that sometimes choices turn out to have been the correct ones, and sometimes it is not. Improvement in policy choices out of past experiences is the Indian way of dealing with the crucial facets of foreign policy. To conclude this chapter, his accounts shows while there is a greater possibility to think about the long-term strategic gain in India’s foreign policy making, sometimes political parties unpredictably pursue foreign policy goals to secure their own political interest. 

Choices is an unparalleled record of some controversial policy decisions and can be an insightful read for academicians, and enthusiasts of India’s foreign policy and a necessary read for policy practitioners. The author’s direct involvement in foreign policy decision-making and later being the part of country’s highest security system capture not only the dilemma in making the choices but also the security aspect of those decisions. However, the book is not an easy read due to the presence of five instances of different times, where a set of diverse political, economic, and societal problems are involved with the policy options. The author incredibly grounded minute background for every incident in this book.  However, the book offers more from a diplomat or policymaker viewpoint but lacks academic depth. Hence, the book is an essential read for the policymaker to understand the complexities of making just one policy and how it incorporates multidimensional aspects. 

The author has thoroughly assessed the policy choices of a rising power in the international realm. It provides an in-depth understanding of the fundamental bedrock of the Indian way of decision making. However, the author did not mention anything about the ‘culture of restraint’, as some of the critics argue. Some of the chapters like India’s involvement in Sri Lanka could have been more analytical with a more balanced opinion of the author. More importantly the author puts forward some key questions to the present and future governments about temporary gain and India’s long-term interests.  The book shows the bargaining capability of New Delhi amidst the difficult situation. By giving an optimistic direction for the future course of New Delhi’s foreign policy journey, the author explained what kind of transformation it would require to be a great power.