7 PM |The new worry of depleting diplomatic capital| 3rd

January 2020
blog.forumias.com/article/7-pm-the-new-worry-of-depleting-diplomatic-capital-3rd-january-2020

Context: Depleting diplomatic capital post the recent events that took place in India.

More in news:

India has reached out to countries across all geographical regions to share its
perspective on the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of
Citizens and emphasised that they are internal matters.

Diplomatic Capital:

Diplomatic capital refers to the trust, goodwill, and influence which a diplomat, or a
state represented by its diplomats, has within international diplomacy.
According to political scientists, diplomatic capital is a kind of currency that can be
traded in diplomatic negotiations and that is increased when positive ″social
competences, reputation and personal authority" are portrayed.
Diplomatic capital is a complex combination of the goodwill the country has
banked on over decades as a democratic, secular, stable power, bilateral
transactions etc. that it can conduct in the present and the potential it holds for
future ties in terms of economic and geopolitical strengths.
Diplomatic capital can be accumulated for example by economic cooperation and
by contributions to the solution of international crises.
It is strengthened when in other countries the sentiment prevails that the interests
of a state or the diplomats representing it are aligned with their own interests.

1/4
 Conversely, it can be squandered when a country engages in a confrontation, an
armed conflict or a war, if that is perceived as unjust or at odds with the interests
of others.
Diplomatic capital is also linked to the extent of enforcement of human rights.

Foreign Policy of the government between 2014-2019:

The three key pillars of the Modi government’s foreign policy – strong global image,
effective big power diplomacy and neighbourhood-first approach.
PM Modi must be credited for building a strong rapport with Gulf countries through
his ‘Link West’ policy. India’s relations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and
other countries in the region are on a strong footing.
Putting the past with United States, the governmnet forged an extra close relations
with the Barak Obama administration that opened a new chapter in Indo-Pacific
policy.
The friendship with US continued even after the change in power regime in US. The
"Howdy, Modi!" event held in september 2019 was billed as one of the largest ever
receptions of a foreign leader in the US.
Despite domestic sentiments against China, the government built a one of its kind
infomal summit with China. Modi’s visit to China in 2018 followed by Xi Jinping visit
to India in 2019 brings the two country closer.
After completing the Land Boundary Agreement, India and Bangladesh had worked
hard on building connectivity, opening energy routes, trade and developing travel
links.

Effects of recent events on the diplomatic relation:

The UN High Commission has also criticised the law by calling it “fundamentally
discriminatory” and appears to “undermine the commitment to equality”.
Turkey in the West and Malaysia in East Asia are the only two prominent Islamic
countries to have spoken out against India on Kashmir.
While Bangladesh and Malaysia have openly criticised the CAA, other countries like
the USA, UK, France and Australia have issued travel advisories.
Bangladesh:
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan called off their visits to India following enactment of the
controversial law.
Bangladesh questions about CAA that “If India’s motivation was compassion
for the religiously persecuted, then why was the Modi governmnet so
impervious to Ms. Hasina’s repeated requests for help in the Rohingya’s
refugee issue?”

2/4
 Japan:
The biggest immediate let-down from a global image perspective was the
cancellation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit.
This was no ordinary visit, but one replete with political symbolism anchored
in India’s North-East, right next China’s zone of influence in East Asia.
In fact, it was worked out in a way that Abe undertakes the India visit before
he heads for China later in December
US:
The Democratic Party, under Barak Obama have been very supportive to the
Indian Government. However, there were only three lawmakers from
Democratic Party were present out of two dozen lawmakers at the “Howdi
Modi” event.
Even out of five Indian-American lawmakers, only one attended the event.
In weeks that followed the “Howdy Modi” event, the State departments and
several bipartisan committees have issued statements of concerns over
continued detentions in Kashmir and the CAA. They held hearings in the US
Congress and even inserted language on Kashmir into the annual Foreign
Appropriations Act for 2020.
Europe:
In the European Parliament, last september, there were also discussions on
Kashmir.
It was followed by Indian government’s invitation to the far-right Members of
the European Parliament (MEPs) to visit Kashmir (October 2019) has annoyed
Eorpean diplomats from various countries who have been denied similar
access.

What can follow?

The United Nations and its affiliated bodies could provide a platform for India to be
targeted. For instance, in December 2019, a suit by a relatively remote player, the
Gambia, ensured that Myanmar’s top leadership was made to appear for a public
hearing at the International Court of Justice at The Hague in connection with the
Rohingya issue.
New Delhi’s breaking ties with Turkey and Malaysia for their comments at the UN
on Kashmir could also lead to them vetoing India’s legitimate position at the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF), where India hopes to blacklist Pakistan for terror
financing.
The US congress can effectively block defence sales to India or pursue sanctions on
the S-400 missile system purchase from Russia.
The US Commission for International Relogious Freedom (USCIRF) has already
recommended sanctions to be considered for Home Minister Amit Shah and other
officials. It must be remembered that it was the USCIRF that first recommended a
visa ban against Mr. Modi, as Gujarat Chief Minister, in 2005. To date, he remains
the only individual world wide sanctioned under the US’s International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998.
3/4
 Bangladesh has been
defending India at the
Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation. If Bangladesh
feels India’s actions to be
religiously discriminatory,
then it is just a matter of time
that the other Islamic
countries, specially Arab
countries may speak up
against the Indian
government.

Conclusion:

India has reached out to countries

across all geographical regions to
share its perspective on the
Citizenship Amendment Act and
the National Register of Citizens,
and emphasised that they are
internal matters. Ministry of
External Affairs have adopted a
two-pronged strategy, as apart
from reaching out to a number of resident ambassadors and high commissioners based
here, Indian envoys abroad engaged with capitals in different countries. The government
must ensure that the hard earned diplomatic capital is not wasted and work towards
making India stronger on the international platform.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-new-worry-of-depleting-diplomatic-
capital/article30453800.ece

4/4