In India's newly elected cabinet, S Jaishankar. The appointment of a former foreign secretary like Jaishankar as foreign minister is a historic event.
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| Photo (Twitter) |
Prime Minister Modi won a landslide victory in the second general election in a row, and at the same time there was a lot of talk about what would happen in his new term and what would change. Sushma Swaraj refused to accept the ministry post again due to health problems. Many had raised eyebrows when they saw former Indian Foreign Secretary Subramaniam Jaishankar on the dais. The assumption that he will be a minister in the same ministry in which he has been working for the last four decades has finally come true. And on May 31, he took over as India's foreign minister.
The global geopolitical situation has been changing in the last few years; Accordingly, the importance and role of India at the international level is also changing. Since 2014, under Modi's leadership, the country's foreign affairs have grown, and diversified. Our bilateral relations with all countries, big and small, have improved; But at the same time, India got membership in many new multinational organizations. In such a situation, Sushma Swaraj ran the Ministry of External Affairs with great enthusiasm. He needed such an efficient successor, which Modi recognized and called Jaishankar.
Jaishankar did not contest the Lok Sabha elections. He was also not a member of any political party. However, Modi made him a minister through lateral entry. In 1991, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao appointed economist Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister with a similar parallel entry. This is just another example of such a high level of lateral entry. According to the rules of Indian parliamentary democracy, Jaishankar will have to be elected to any one of the houses of Parliament in the next six months. Jaishankar's experience so far, his understanding of international politics, and his significant contribution to India's foreign relations have contributed to his appointment.
Jaishankar received his diplomacy from his father Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam. He was a skilled charter officer and an expert on tactical matters. He was among those who gave real-political priority to Indian foreign policy. He was instrumental in formulating the country's defense policies, especially its nuclear policy. Jaishankar was educated first at St. Stephen's College, Delhi and later at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he earned his MA, M.Phil, and Ph.D. in International Relations.
In 1977, Jaishankar joined the Indian Foreign Service as an officer. During his 41 years of service, he carried out many important responsibilities. He served as India's ambassador to the United States, China, Singapore and the Czech Republic. During his nearly four-and-a-half-year tenure in China, he became India's longest-serving ambassador to China. In addition to Washington and Beijing, he has experience working in strategic capitals such as Moscow, Tokyo and Colombo. While in the ministry, he became fluent in Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. He was instrumental in shaping the Indo-US nuclear deal.
From January 2015 to January 2018, Jaishankar was India's Foreign Secretary for three years. Originally, his appointment for two years, his efficiency and the relationship of trust he had with Modi, was extended for another year. Therefore, he also received the honor of being the longest serving Foreign Secretary. From the time he retired in January 2018 to the time he became a Minister, he was the Head of Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Industries for about a year and a half.
It is not a new thing for a foreign service officer to enter politics from time to time. Earlier, Natwar Singh, Mani Shankar Iyer, Meira Kumar, Pawan Verma, etc. Leaders also worked in the same service for some time and then entered politics, and later reached important positions. However, all these officers had entered politics on voluntary retirement before completing their tenure in the Foreign Service. Jaishankar completed his term; He retired in 2018. Not only that, but his inclusion in the cabinet was done in a non-political manner.
Out of the above mentioned leaders, only Natwar Singh reached the post of Foreign Minister of the country. However, after resigning from the Foreign Service in 1984, he became a Minister almost two decades later. He had to resign within a year, so his ministerial career was short-lived. Hewlett Jaishankar retired 16 months ago. Therefore, his experience in the system is fresh. This is the first time in the history of India that a person holding the post of Foreign Secretary has become the Minister of External Affairs. This is a very important choice for Prime Minister Modi, who has a reputation for maintaining a strong grip on policy and keeping a close eye on the bureaucracy.
Although Modi and Jaishankar do not know each other very well, they have a lot of experience working with each other. When Modi visited China in 2011 when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Jaishankar was India's Ambassador to China. When Modi became the Prime Minister, he first visited the United States in September 2014, when Jaishankar was India's Ambassador to the United States. During the visit, Modi addressed the Indian community at an unprecedented gathering at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jaishankar played a pivotal role in the planning of the entire program.
In 2015, Modi appointed Jaishankar as Foreign Secretary. For the next three years, Jaishankar ran the affairs within the framework of the foreign policy drawn up by Modi-Swaraj. In doing so, special attention was paid to safeguarding India's national interest. Jaishankar's diplomacy took off during the Doklama crisis with China. Jaishankar is well acquainted with Modi's modus operandi as Foreign Secretary, an experience he will surely use as Foreign Minister.
The post of External Affairs Minister is one of the top four in India. The person sitting on it is also a member of the most important Cabinet Committee on Defense in the country, which includes the Prime Minister as well as the Home, Finance and Defense Ministers. Jaishankar's place in this committee is important in many ways. In fact, the quartet of Modi, Amit Shah, Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, which emerged after the announcement of the new cabinet, is a testament to national security, say Delhi-based strategists. Jaishankar's role in the quartet will be based on his in-depth study of international politics, his knowledge of global economics, and his experience in skilled politics.
Since retiring from the Foreign Service a year and a half ago, Jaishankar knows almost every department and officer in the system. He also has good relations with the current Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. On the one hand, he will benefit from this recognition and understanding of the system while working as Foreign Minister. But at the same time, staying within the system for a long time can be an obstacle if there are some old business claims or prejudices. It remains to be seen how the officers and staff in the South Block will adapt to Jaishankar's new incarnation. Although Jaishankar is familiar with the internal problems of the system, it is not easy for him to sit on the top post and work out solutions.
In the Indian system of government, the minister is paramount to his department and its officials. The Minister of External Affairs acts on the advice of the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State. However, it is doubtful how much Jaishankar, who has played the role of department secretary, ambassador and foreign secretary, will rely on other officials for advice. In fact, a person with long experience like him can give advice to junior officers on his own. However, this does not rule out the possibility of a crack in the established system.
Although Jaishankar was originally the foreign secretary, former ambassador Vivek Katju had criticized his conduct. According to him, many internal changes took place in the Ministry of External Affairs during 2015-18. Going beyond the framework set by the system, Jaishankar concentrated all power in his own hands, and kept other secretaries away from important responsibilities. Katju had mentioned in one of his articles that he was also preparing and managing all Modi's foreign tours. Of course, this is happening because of the Prime Minister's trust in Jaishankar and the ease of work between the two. But in the context of this particular style of working of the Foreign Minister, the future course depends on how the equations between him and other officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs unfold.
Even if this is true, the very manner in which Katju criticized Jaishankar could be a credit to him. This has been proved by his successful three years as Foreign Secretary. Government departments in India, even the Department of External Affairs, are likely to maintain a status quo. But ambitious and aggressive leaders like Modi, sidestepping some molded 'processes' beyond the framework of the stereotyped system, place more emphasis on the success of the end result. Due to this flexibility of Jaishankar, he was given an extension in the post of Foreign Secretary. And that is why today he has been appointed as the Foreign Minister. It will be important to see how this particular style of work benefits them in the new role.
As foreign minister, Jaishankar faces challenges from all sides. Considering the global politics, many things are happening that could have a profound effect on India. The trade dispute between the US and China is raging. The US sanctions on Iran have fueled tensions in West Asia, prompting India to suspend oil imports from Iran. Our relations with the United States, Japan, Israel, and the Gulf are improving. But Russia, our old ally, is now moving closer to China and Pakistan. In such a geopolitical situation, the world is watching how India determines its position on the world stage.
Prime Minister Modi last week called for a global anti-terrorism conference, which France recently announced its support for. This will require the cooperation of many other countries, big and small. India has been battling cross-border 'government-sponsored' terrorism for almost three decades, as evidenced by the Pulwama attack. Sushma Swaraj had sacrificed her life to divert global support to India during the Pulwama attack and later the Balakot airstrikes. From now on, Jaishankar will have to carry on this battle with urgency.
Improving bilateral trade, strategic and security relations with all the world's major powers is the need of the hour. But at the same time G-20, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS E. Equally important is expanding your role in organizations. For the past several years, India has been pursuing permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). For this, it is necessary to make continuous efforts through diplomacy. In the new structure, Jaishankar has placed the United Nations, European Union and Indo-Pacific divisions of the ministry under his direct control, which makes his policy objectives clear.
Prime Minister Modi has given special priority to his neighbors and extended neighbors in foreign affairs, which include Central Asian and Southeast Asian countries as well as South Asian countries. Despite our pre-trade relations with these countries, cooperation has increased in the last few years. This will continue in Modi's second term, said Jaishankar in his first speech as External Affairs Minister. The presence of BIMSTEC heads of state for the swearing-in ceremony, Modi's visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka in his first week, and Jaishankar's visit to Bhutan also underscored the importance of neighboring countries. It will be the responsibility of the new Foreign Minister to make relations with these countries flourish. His absence from the Doklama Pech and the Belt and Road Initiative had strained relations with China. But with China withdrawing objections to declaring Masoud Azhar a global terrorist last month, there is a glimmer of hope in bilateral relations, which needs to be taken forward through skilled politics. Jaishankar's experience of four and a half years in Beijing will be important here.
Jaishankar also faces the challenge of carrying on Sushma Swaraj's legacy. Swaraj made the Ministry of External Affairs more popular. Interacted directly with Indians abroad via Twitter, resolving their issues. In case of loss of someone's passport, difficulties while traveling abroad, or someone being found in a natural calamity, he kept the help of Indian embassies just a tweet away. After becoming a minister, Jaishankar is taking the same lot. As soon as he took office, messages asking for help began to appear on his Twitter account, and each of them began to be answered.
Overall, this is the first time in Indian history that a foreign minister has been appointed foreign minister, but Jaishankar's study of international affairs, his understanding of foreign affairs, his vast experience of skilled diplomacy and his confidence in Modi make him a successful foreign minister. No.
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