Defensive Offence — Quad, Defence Modernisation, Afghanistan’s Future & Self Reliance

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Bharat Karnad

This is a recent extended interview in Hindi (mostly, and the best that I could manage!) with ‘Defensive Offence’ website. May be of interest.

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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12 Responses to Defensive Offence — Quad, Defence Modernisation, Afghanistan’s Future & Self Reliance

Tushar Tarat says:

May 13, 2021 at 12:59 pm

The interview was very lucid and easy to understand for people not from the background of political science and international relations…

We Reauest you to give more such talk on foreign policy and National security in schools and colleges to help in building up a culture of geo strategic thinking among the school and college going children We would be honoured if you could spare some time and deliver a talk on the issues concerning India’s security and 5th gen warfare in our College Assam Downtown University. Pankhaiti Assam.

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Amit says:

May 13, 2021 at 7:36 pm

Your comments about Indian bureaucracy and the killing of private enterprise unfortunately ring very true. Unless the people of India demand good governance, nothing will change. But our people are not very demanding of our governments. Especially rural India where political power resides – what is bureaucracy and private enterprise to them? From anecdotal discussions, looks like even the Covid crisis has not really changed many opinions. So god knows when real change will happen in India.

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whatsinitanyway says:

May 14, 2021 at 4:10 pm

@Bharati Ji I think the problem is not limited to bureaucracy. Even if we allow private sector to manufacture defence goods,(The content ahead is speculative but plausible) these entities(specially LNT and Tata) though Indian make most of their money in foreign markets. The fact is if India becomes assertive (starts doing things with realpolitik and national interest in mind)the situation could become like China and Huawei/ZTE. And unlike Huawei/ZTE, given the low share of sales in domestic market. Most of these Private Make in India Tigers(with only tail and head in India, rest of the body spread around the world)will dissociate themselves from India and take shelter in Singapore perhaps even in China(They have a huge market).
On the other hand we have a bureaucracy which can only be used in of Ministry of arts/culture, Ministry of health and family welfare etc. The latter with a pinch of salt. In short the rot is everywhere and not just in Bureaucracy. But yeah it’s worth taking the risk – after all even with the current risk averse approach we only bury our ostrich heads deeper into the grounds and in that process bend over in front of the world.

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BHASKAR says:

May 14, 2021 at 7:48 pm

An excellent insight into India’s ‘atm nirbhar’ incapability!

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Krishna Soni says:

May 14, 2021 at 8:39 pm

Respected Sir@Professor Bharat Karnad in your book why India is not a great power(yet) in chapter Indian defense industry page 425 you had mentioned that like HF24 Berlin was also interested LCA tejas aircraft program and the GOI about jointly producing the LCA but the leftist congress government showing no foresight,did not react at all.
“Big Boost To India’s LCA Tejas Mark II As The UK Agrees To Collaborate On India’s Indigenous Fighter Jet Program” reported by eurasian times
Is the news of collabration of UK with India on LCA Mk2 program a good decision taken by Modi government which deserves praise.
Please give your strategic view on it.

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- Bharat Karnad says:
  
  May 15, 2021 at 6:05 am
  
  Without the details of the collaboration deal, cannot pronounce on it.
  
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jayesh joshi says:

May 15, 2021 at 6:39 am

hello sir, what is your view on corovirus being a bio weapon and how should india pay back in kind?

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- Bharat Karnad says:
  
  May 15, 2021 at 7:43 am
  
  At the begining of the pandemic, I had said in a post that the novel corona virus was a biological weapon of mass destriction. That has proved to be the case.
  
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  - Amandeep Singh says:
    
    May 16, 2021 at 4:16 pm
    
    Sir then why is it that no one is calling China out.
  - Bharat Karnad says:
    
    May 16, 2021 at 5:14 pm
    
    Just too much uncertainty all round.
Krishna Soni says:

May 17, 2021 at 10:41 am

Respected Sir@ Professor Bharat Karnad during the ongoing Israel-Palestine:”India opposes Hamas rocket action against Israel, supports Palestine just cause” was it a correct diplomatic
move or hesitation to upset the Arabs.
Should India support Israel more openly and leave the palestine cause ?
Please give your strategic view on it.

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Gaurav Tyagi says:

May 19, 2021 at 6:08 am

Why meddle in Afghanistan at all. Let Taliban do whatever it wants. Afghanistan is soon going to have a long civil war.

Professor Karnad, you say that Afghanistan is a rainbow nation comprising of numerous ethnic groups. Is India any better? It is also a ‘khichdi’ nation.

What does a Sikh farmer from Punjab got in common with his counterparts in Andhra, Tamilnadu, Kerala and other Southern and Western provinces?

A non English medium educational background person from Northern India cannot even converse with someone from Northeast, South, West and other regions of India.

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