China in the Maldives

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

Rajya Sabha TV panel discussion in ‘India’s World’ programme on the subject of China at India’s backdoor in the IO. It was broadcast yesterday evening at 10PM.

About Bharat Karnad

Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, he was Member of the (1st) National Security Advisory Board and the Nuclear Doctrine-drafting Group, and author, among other books of, 'Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security: The Realist Foundations of Strategy', 'India's Nuclear Policy' and most recently, 'Why India is Not a Great Power (Yet)'. Educated at the University of California (undergrad and grad), he was Visiting Scholar at Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies, and Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, DC.

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3 Responses to China in the Maldives

sanman says:

December 5, 2017 at 11:58 am

Mr Karnad,
Regarding the China-Maldives issue, I think that instead of doing our own overt gunboat diplomacy/intervention and getting pilloried for it internationally, I think we should simply hire a bunch of mercenaries to do it for us. After effecting the regime change, any and all residual Chinese presence must be ejected from there. Hell, just hire ex-LTTE people, as they’re good at island/marine warfare.
Furthermore, we should flex our quads, and insist that US, Australia & Japan back us on any effort to eject China from Maldives. If the Quad is to mean anything, then Maldives would be a good litmus test to see if it does. Otherwise, if the other Quad members can’t support us on a tiny piddling country like Maldives, then how could we expect them to support us on larger matters presenting greater challenges?

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- Aban says:
  
  December 5, 2017 at 8:27 pm
  
  We should do what Pak did in kargil or in Afghanistan. Send our own forces disguised as non-state actors or insurgent groups or armed Opposition groups. And then publicly support the so-called Maldivian opposition and their efforts to topple incumbent regime and recognize the new govt , post regime change, headed by an Indian puppet (perhaps Nasheed). Apart from Pakistanis barking on TV or the Chinese sulking silently , there will be no major fallout or outrage. USA under Trump would hardly care. Most of EU busy with Brexit , refugees, Hungary , Putin . Canada’s Trudeau or Norway will be the only minor irritants.
  
  Reply
Ahmed Ibrahim says:

December 18, 2017 at 3:41 pm

Maldives is not a state of India. Its a sovereign state and we will strengthen diplomatic ties with whoever and whenever we want. Indians should shut up. Military Action Against Maldives will be the Worst Decision that india would ever think of.

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