Make no mistake, all countries seek to strike a balance between narrow self interest and broad-minded idealism in adopting positions on international affairs. If French President Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are so exercised about lack of democracy in Libya, it is as much to do, perhaps even more, with their sagging domestic image and enduring economic interests as it is to do with their commitment to human rights in the Arab world. If US President Barrack Obama is dithering about how much force to use in Libya to protect Libyan lives, it has as much to do with domestic politics as it has to do with oil economics, even if dithering has become second nature to Mr Obama. Perhaps a new great game is afoot in the Arab world, perhaps it is not and what we see is what there is to see — support for an uprising against a repressive regime. Whatever the factors that have contributed to the current situation in Libya, India has so far done well not to take explicit sides and to repeatedly emphasise the importance of protecting the lives of innocent people. India need not defend the likes of a Muammar Gaddafi, but it need not get involved in a western plot to replace unfriendly regimes with friendly ones if no direct Indian interests are served. India has both long-term and immediate interests and stake in the region and Indian policy must strike a balance between protecting these interests and upholding the values of freedom and democracy.
India’s guarded response to events in Libya has been a wise one. At a time when the West is itself divided, and Russia and China have so far adopted a neutral stance, there is no need for India to be excessively involved, unless there is a United Nations mandated and supervised intervention in the region. India can certainly be part of a UN peacekeeping force in Libya and any other West Asia and North Africa (WANA) nation. But it need not get involved with half-baked western initiatives as is the present campaign in Libya.
India has long standing civilisational and people-to-people relations with the Arab world, on the one hand, and vital economic interests, on the other. Not only are countries in the region a source of oil supply (though Libya accounts for just about 5.0 per cent of Indian petroleum imports), but they also provide livelihood to millions of Indians, whose homeward remittance of savings sustain large economies, including a large part of the economy of a state like Kerala. Given these vital economic interests, India’s first priority should be to seek peace, security and regional stability in WANA, without necessarily ignoring the aspirations of the Arab people. India must think beyond Libya and ask what it should do if the anger on the Arab street, and tribal conflict, spreads to other countries, including Saudi Arabia. Given the destabilising impact of such a development on the Indian economy, pro-active diplomacy that facilitates transition to democracy without disruption of economic activity would be advisable.