I recalled the dictum enunciated by Walter Wriston, the legendary Citibank chairman, who told my class at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy: “Countries don’t go under, they just roll over”. India must be wary about becoming their cat’s paw.The most significant development of this century so far has been the rise of China as an economic powerhouse, with its military not lagging far behind. Speaking to Singapore’s foreign minister Geo Yeo in July 2010, then Chinese foreign minister Yang Jeichi, responding to criticism about China’s assertiveness, just said: “China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that’s just a fact. There is no L’embarrass des richesses, but a poverty of clarity.
Jawaharlal Nehru (Photo PTI)Much as we would like to exalt Jawaharlal Nehru as the [...]