Textbook diplomacy

As India integrates its economy with the economies of east and southeast Asia, it is essential we get an understanding of how the governments in these countries function. What is the role of the foreign ministries and how do they coordinate their role with key economic ministries? What is the level of specialisation of diplomats from these countries? Former IFS officer Kishan Rana's book dwells at length on all these issues.

Rana describes the early style of Chinese diplomacy during the Mao years as characterised by assertive nationalism, combative-ness towards adversaries, commu-nist in jargon and excessively oriented towards the Third World. Since the commencement of the Deng Xiaoping era, the major changes were symbolised by the replacement of the drab Mao jacket by western style suits. After structural changes in 1993, young and meritorious officials rose rapidly in the diplomatic hierarchy, with Maoist jargon being replaced by specialisation and a greater focus on foreign language studies. Rana dwells at length on how foreign policy is enunciated by the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party and acted on by a small Foreign Affairs "Leading Small Group" headed by no less than the Secretary General of the Communist Party, with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and State Security as its members.

In recent years, Rana notes, there is much closer contact between Chinese companies and their diplomatic missions abroad, but he does not allude to the close ties that they maintain with their "comrades" in India's mainstream Communist Parties and get these parties to not only oppose India's growing ties with the US, but also promote the interests of Chinese companies seeking access to investment opportunities in India. Rana acknowledges that within South Block there are serious differences about China's intentions. There are many like this reviewer, who believe that China's approach to India, symbolised by its nuclear and missile transfers to Pakistan and its relations with other South Asia neighbours, reflect a conscious, long term policy of "strategic containment" of India.

Rana speaks of the changes effected since the Nehruvian era and acknowledges that "career planning does not exist" in South Block. He notes that language skills in the Chinese, Russian, Arabic and European languages are widespread. One has, however, to acknowledge that language skills of Indian diplomats in the languages of neighbouring countries ranging from Burmese and Nepali, to Urdu and Sinhala, leave much to be desired. While noting the absence of proper coordination between important ministries like commerce and finance with Indian missions abroad as an important shortcoming, Rana dwells on India's efforts at public diplomacy and the promotion of cultural and educational cooperation. He has appropriately characterised our multilateral diplomacy as being "outstanding" because of our successes in forging new pragmatism groupings with China, Brazil and South Africa in the WTO and our increasing involvement in multilateral forums as part of our "Look East" policies. But Indian diplomacy has not been without serious fiascos in multilateral forums. The manner in which Japan trounced us in elections to the Security Council in 1997 and the Shashi Tharoor fiasco recently, suggest that at the political level, decisions are periodically influenced primarily by domestic considerations.

Rana meticulous analyses the foreign policy establishments of Japan, Singapore and Thailand, to provide an insight into how each of these countries has imaginatively promoted its national interests. He notes the changes in Japanese foreign policy and observes that Japan is "reorienting its relations with India". He aptly states: "Singapore renowned for its economic success, as also its feisty style in foreign affairs" has successfully sought to "involve foreign powers in its well being". He analyses how innovatively Singapore uses its elite diplomatic service as an effective tool of its sophisticated diplomacy. Finally, Rana's recommendations on the need for radical restructuring of India's diplomatic services and practices need careful consideration and indeed early implementation.

Rana's book is essential reading for all those who wish to understand our eastern neighbourhood and make Indian diplomacy a more effective tool in promoting India's national interests. It is superb treatise on the craft of diplomacy "" a subject on which Rana has won international recognition.

The author is a former high commissioner to Pakistan

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ASIAN DIPLOMACY
FOREIGN MINISTRIES OF CHINA, INDIA, JAPAN, SINGAPORE AND THAILAND

Kishan S Rana
Oxford University Press
260 pages; Rs 550