A Lecture was arranged on
the topic “Enhancing India’s Constructive
Influence in the International Arena” by BIC on
23rd January, 2007 at 6 PM.
Prof. James Manor who is the VKRV Professor at the I.S.E.C
and a Professor at the Institute of Development Studies,
University of Sussex, England, delivered the lecture.
Mr C V Ranganathan, IFS(Retd), Former Indian Ambassador
to France, China and Ethiopia presided over the programme.
Mr. P R Dasgupta, Director of the Centre, welcomed Mr.
Ranganathan and Prof. Manor. In his introductory comments,
Mr. Ranganathan mentioned that the subject was of great
interest and topicality, particularly in the context
of the shift in political gravity towards Asia ever
since the turn of the millennium when Asia started becoming
the pivot of economic growth.
Prof. Manor began his lecture by stressing that he was
not an unbiased observer of India’s foreign policy
as he had spent much of his academic life in India,
and that his general approach was that of a friend of
India rather than that of a neutral critic. Independent
India, unlike many other countries, has projected itself
to other countries as a Country based on a set of humane
ideas adapted from the freedom struggle and with a high
moral content. This, according to Prof. Manor was entirely
correct and natural. Over the years, India had taken
the line that capabilities of the developing countries
should be built up consistently without aligning with
any power bloc. However, earlier this political stance
was without any economic clout. Now that India has developed
its economic strength, it is necessary to use this to
leverage its political stance without in any way compromising
its own enlightened self interest. Prof. Manor drew
a comparison between the approach of India and China
to the Least Developed Countries and the emerging Developing
Countries and felt that India’s approach to help
assist the building up of capabilities in those countries
(which the Chinese did not attempt at all) had a better
chance of enhancing its influence there. In this context
Prof Manor felt that India should lay more emphasis
on making its impact on the commonwealth which is now
recognized as an important forum where the Least Developed
Countries are encouraged and fostered. India should
do it by participating more vigorously in the working
of the commonwealth, by contributing more to the commonwealth
and by bidding for the post of Secretary General of
the Commonwealth Secretariat which is falling vacant
this year. Once India assumes a leading position in
the commonwealth, it can have a great influence in the
LDCs within the commonwealth. There are possibilities
of greater cooperation and collaboration between commonwealth
and the Organisation of Francophone countries which
have a large number of LDCs outside the commonwealth,
particularly in Africa. India, along with Brazil, is
already playing a leading role in G-20 to articulate
and operationalise the aspirations of the Least Developed
Countries. So its assumption of leadership in commonwealth
and nudging commonwealth to greater cooperation with
the Francophone Countries would be entirely consistent
with its idealistic foreign policy thrust of bonding
with the LDCs and helping them to realize their dreams.
Prof. Manor thought that this approach would be in consonance
with India’s national interest also.
In the lively discussion that followed, there was a
general agreement that moral overtones (which many find
irritating) in foreign policy should be avoided without
sacrificing the basic humane ideas which India has consistently
followed over the years and that India should utilize
all the fora, including G-20, WTO, European Union and
others to project itself an enlightened champion of
equity in every sphere.
Several well-known personalities of Bangalore had attended
this extremely informative lecture and the discussion
that followed.
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