Dr. S. Jaishankar Believes That India’s Grand Strategy In An Uncertain World Requires “Advancement”

*Kumar Rakesh

Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s modern Chanakya’s ancestor, is the man of the moment. Jaishankar’s charisma and intelligence are unrivalled in today’s politics and political parties. As a seasoned bureaucrat, he is well-versed in all techniques for balancing opposing political parties in our vibrant democracy.

Earlier Dr. Jaishankar had been worked under the rule of a Congress Party till 2013.Now he is top brass in BJP Govt .This is special qualities of Dr Jaishankar as he is a member of BJP in Rajya Sabha, also with PM Narendra Bhai Modi’s Special Blessings, this validates his importance in the ministry and the expertise with which he manages his ministry for our country.

Despite the fact that the issues at hand are complex, his greatest strength is his ability to simplify. According to Dr. Jaishankar, the world is fundamentally changing, with significant shifts in power and processes taking place in the international environment.

According to me, Prime Minister Modi recognized Dr. Jaishankar’s inherent qualities and appointed him as India’s External Affairs Minister on May 30, 2019. Everyone was taken aback on that fateful day, May 30, 2019, when Dr. Jaishankar appeared on the dais of a Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan in swearing ceremony. He was thought to be an MOS in the External Affairs Ministry at the time, as Smt. Sushma ji Swaraj was the External Affairs Minister at the time, until he took the oath as India’s New EAM. All political observers, including many media pundits, were surprised by Jaishankar’s decision to replace Smt Sushma Swaraj as New EAM of India, who was only his boss until he was sworn in.

Everyone knew that Ms. Sushma Swaraj was irritated many times with Dr. Jaishankar tenure as Foreign Secretary from January 2015 to January 2018 for a variety of reasons. But, in that regard, I can state unequivocally that Dr. Jaishankar was not to blame. As some media outlets reported and attempted to cause confusions in government with proper governance at the time.

I was the only Journalist who was unsurprised when Smt Sushma Ji was unable to work as an EAM for a variety of political reasons in Modi 2:O. Ms Sushma ji Swaraj will not be reappointed as EAM again and I won a bet with many people.

When we evaluate Jaishankar’s distinguishing characteristics, we discover a long list of his significant innovative contributions to our country. When we look at his work as EAM since 2019, we can see that he has many feathers in his cap for pleasing PM Narendra Bhai Modi by following his directions as this Government’s Dedicated Senate.

He strongly believes in invoking the Mahabharata and arguing that Krishna’s intellect and the unethical choices made during the Pandava-Kaurava war should be a source of guidance for how India deals with this unpredictable environment – by stabilizing ethics and realism. His foray into the ancient Hindu epic was meant to signal his ideological preferences rather than to add new perspectives on the universe or India’s place in it

His appreciation for democracy and liberal values is one aspect of his work that stands out. As he approaches the age of 60, the normal retirement age from the Service, Jaishankar has proven himself worthy of his father’s legacy.

The ASEAN-India commemorative summit in 2018, which included all ten ASEAN leaders at the Republic Day parade, was a major highlight of Jaishankar’s tenure as foreign secretary. However, there was also dissatisfaction with how the ‘blockade’ of Nepal was handled, which inevitably led to a rethinking of India’s Madhesi policy and heightened Nepal’s innate desire for better economic ties with China.

The Doklam standoff in 2017 was most likely one of Jaishankar’s most difficult challenges. It came to an end after 73 days due to the back-and-forth between his successor as foreign secretary and then Indian envoy to China, Vijay Gokhale. The anguish caused by the severity and length of the Doklam crisis also drove Indian and Chinese leaders to Wuhan, where they agreed to re-establish relations in an informal summit in May 2018. Jaishankar had retired by then, but he was not forgotten; he was named to the list of Padma Shri awardees in January of this year.

Jaishankar’s top priority as external affairs minister would undoubtedly be resolving the trade dispute with the United States, which is set to end India’s preferential tariff treatment soon.

Jaishankar will also have to strike a balance between India’s energy security needs and its relations with the US in terms of purchasing oil from sanctioned Iran.

With India hosting the second iteration of the India-China informal summit in a few months, Jaishankar will be under pressure to maintain the current positive momentum in bilateral relations. Similarly, with Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin investing significant diplomatic capital in their relationship, Moscow would gain another important pillar.

During a recent trip to the United States, Jaishankar outlined India’s foreign policy for “Modi 2.0,” reaching out to governments as well as opinion leaders. He described India’s worldview as a fluid array of multiple poles where convergence but not congruence is possible; frenemies abound, and it’s natural to interact with the US, China, and Russia all at once.

In Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi’s second term, India’s foreign policy will reflect the massive mandate he received, as well as the need to adjust constantly and move quickly in a rapidly changing global environment.

Despite strong ties with Russia and the West, India is one of Asia’s most geopolitically significant countries, known for its neutrality and lack of state alignment. While India appears to have taken no sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, its voice for peace and global security has not been silenced.

Dr. S Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, recently stated in France that “diplomacy” was the only way forward and that no unreasonable use of force would result in a peaceful resolution. While India appears to have taken no sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, its voice for peace and global security has not been silenced.

He revealed his vision without the use of didactic interpretations or hypotheses when he wrote or spoke in public on several occasions. During his tenure, there may not have been a dramatic breakthrough in India-China relations, but he may have avoided many blunders along the way. Few envoys have been able to command both Beijing’s and Delhi’s respect.

Jaishankar would have preferred to be Foreign Secretary instead of traveling to Washington. But he poured his heart and soul into the India-US relationship, to which he had previously contributed significantly and valuable. The 67th year of Jaishankar’s life is merely a significant milestone, and it is far too early to assess his lifetime achievements. Before he hangs up his diplomatic boots, he has a lot more to say and do.

His experience in both Washington and Beijing puts him in an exceptional position to manage US-China relations at a critical juncture. Dr. Jaishankar is said to have played an important role in Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi’s successful visit to the United States, as well as in discussions about luring US President Barack Obama to India in 2014 and later.

After Nirupama Rao’s term expired, and as India and the US fought over the Devyani Khobragade case, he was sent to the US as an envoy in 2013.

Surprisingly, the NDA government has appointed Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s ambassador to the United States, as the country’s new Foreign Secretary, succeeding Sujatha Singh, the country’s highest-ranking diplomat, who was forced to retire about seven months ago. Mrs. Singh is the first foreign secretary to be fired for many reasons since Rajiv Gandhi fired AP Venkateswaran in 1987.

According to sources, Sujatha Singh has never served in a neighbouring country mission, and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has always considered her unqualified to work on many of the Modi government’s agendas, including SAARC and strategy with neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar, among others. According to sources, her inappropriate handling of the Devyani Khobragade incident went against India and caused great embarrassment.

Dr. Jaishankar, who is credited with repairing New Delhi’s relationship with Washington, visited the United States in December 2013, when relations were strained as a result of the Devyani affair.

.Dr. Jaishankar’s diplomatic skills and knowledge have earned him the trust of the Centre’s new administration. It was previously reported that Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi was impressed with Dr Jaishankar’s handling of his September 2014 visit to the United States. He was scheduled to retire on January 31, 2015, but the government decided not to allow him to do so.

Dr. Jaishankar is said to have played a key role in the 2008 Indo-US nuclear deal. At the time, he was the joint secretary of the American division. Following Modi-Obama talks on January 25, the deal, which had been stuck for six years, made significant progress.
He is credited with breaking the stalemate over the Depsang incursion in 2013 while serving as India’s envoy to China.

The promotion comes just three days before Jaishankar’s retirement and coincides with the successful conclusion of Obama’s visit.
Jaishankar has previously served as India’s ambassador to the Czech Republic, Singapore, China, and, most recently, the United States.
Dr. Jaishankar also believes that India has evolved into a more capable and proactive country. As a result of the liberalization programme that began in 1991, the Indian economy has become more cohesive and ambitious, and it is on track to become the world’s third largest economy, after China and the United States.

According to Jaishankar, the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, economic liberalisation after 1991, nuclear tests in 1998, and the nuclear agreement with the US in 2005 were all watershed moments in India’s strategic evolution.

Given the changes in both India and the system, Dr. Jaishankar believes that India should have a foreign policy. Nonetheless, his prescription for India’s foreign policy remains unchanged: India should remain non-aligned and refuse to join the US in its efforts to contain China. India appears to be attempting to play both sides of the equation in order to capture the superpowers while also optimizing its own interests. He does not, however, explain how India and China can find common ground, other than to say that the differences between the two countries must be resolved diplomatically. He also appears to believe that the United States will continue to tolerate India’s evasion indefinitely.

In his opinion, the US will continue to make concessions, while India will continue to play hardball. Jaishankar’s thinking is riddled with contradictions. He believes that the events between the United States and China will shape the future. He sees a bipolar future in global politics in some ways. He did argue, however, that the world is becoming more multipolar, which he believes will encourage competition for regional hegemony. Being bipolar and multipolar at the same time is impossible.

He claims that democracy in India earns respect and increases India’s chances of being liked and admired by other countries around the world. However, when recently questioned about the declining trend of India’s modified version, he became defensive and irritated. This is also clear when he discusses the importance of India’s improved relations with its neighbours. According to him, the strategy is known as the “neighbourhood first” approach.

Regardless, his response to his counterpart in the United States is something that no one in the Indian government would have considered previously. A few great men with patriotic intentions, flawless execution, and selfless service make our entire country proud.

Dr. Jaishankar also worked  as the Press Secretary to India’s President, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, from 1992 to 1997. He was also the President’s speechwriter at the time. At the time, I was a Delhi Correspondent for Nai Duniya, a leading Hindi daily newspaper from Madhya Pradesh. As Dr. Sharma is also from Bhopal, I was covering all of the President’s affairs.
Dr. Sharma and Dr. S Jaishankar were both very media friendly at that time .but now time has changed a lot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s golden child is Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Jaishankar has demonstrated his abilities in all aspects of Indian politics. The United States is leading the transition from a unipolar to a multipolar system. Globalization is waning, while nationalism and hostility are on the rise.

The old order is disintegrating, but we have no idea what the future holds. Members of the Modi government, on the other hand, have reaffirmed their firm positions and established themselves as the most powerful and influential person in global politics.

Dr. S. Jaishankar was appointed as India’s Ambassador to the United States in December 2013. He had more than three decades of diplomatic experience when he arrived in Washington, DC. Jaishankar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and has represented India’s interests and fostered friendly relations with countries all over the world since then.
Dr. Jaishankar worked as the Third and Second Secretary (Political) at the Indian Embassy in Moscow from 1979 to 1981. He served as Under Secretary (Americas) and Policy Planning in the Ministry of External Affairs from 1981 to 1985.From 1985 to 1988, he served as the First Secretary in charge of political affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, and then for two years as the First Secretary and Political Adviser to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Jaishankar was appointed Commercial Counsellor in Budapest in 1990. After three years in that position, he returned to India, first as Director of the Ministry of External Affairs’ East Europe Division, and then as Press Secretary to India’s President. Dr. Jaishankar returned to Japan as Deputy Chief of Mission in 1996 after serving in India. He was appointed as India’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic in 2000 and served in that capacity until 2004.

Dr. Jaishankar returned to India after serving as Ambassador in Prague, where he led the Americas Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. After three years as the division’s head, he returned to India in 2007 to serve as the High Commissioner to Singapore for two years. Dr. Jaishankar most recently served as India’s Ambassador to China, from 2009 to 2013.

Jaishankar has a Ph. D. in International Relations, and an M. Phil. in International Relations, and an M.A. in International Relations. He is married to Kyoko Jaishankar and has three children with her: two sons and a daughter. Mrs. Kyoko Jaishankar works as a housewife professionally. Kyoko was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, to an upper-class and well-established rich family on January 9, 1962.

Because no one in the Indian Foreign Service had met his father, Shri K Subrahmanyam, who was regarded as India’s modern Chanakya in Political Science, Jaishankar had the advantage of receiving national exposure as soon as he joined the Service. He is a member of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

He felt compelled to uphold his father’s legacy of exceptional intellectual brilliance and global vision. Dr. Jaishankar had worked hard to achieve many major milestones in his life and as a member of the BJP party in Indian politics.
It’s exciting to follow his entire journey as Foreign Secretary. Every new civil service aspirant or an IFS has aspired to be Foreign Secretary at some point during his or her career. But no one could have imagined that he would also be the External Affairs Minister in his ministry. But now anyone can imagine that as an innovative and genuine diplomat, they could be the External Affairs Minister.

We should send him our best wishes as he embarks on a difficult journey.

*Kumar Rakesh