The Chinese are complaining of Indian incursion into ‘Chinese territory’ this week. Awwww….bless.
Somewhere there is a document authored by a Chinese policy advisor to their Politburo stating the ‘Indian wants peace, from Gandhi to this day, they do not believe in being offensive. That is their Hindu way, and so we have learnt with the Buddhists, so too with the parent religion of the Hindu, we can bully them to our bidding as we did in taking Kashmir from them.’ This document is yet to be leaked by Wikileaks. But believe me it exists somewhere on some computer system in Beijing. The Chinese are bolder than India.
Three years ago I wrote to you from the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world. My guide told me Laos had reigned upon it during the ‘secret war’ 280 million bombs at a rate of 1 every few seconds for 9 years. The bombers were the Americans of course during the Vietnam War.
I get my spirit of adventure from my father. That drive from when I was a child from London to Gujarat still plays in my blood. So I wanted to mountain bike north from Luang Prabang to the Lao border with China, and by an unauthorised incursion plant an Indian flag on Chinese territory. See how they like it for a change!
After all, India Today reports there were some 300 incursions by the Chinese army into India in 2012. So why not one, just one, by an overseas citizen and non-resident of India?
As for Laos, the Yanks should have simply have dropped TV sets instead. Far more pervasive has been the voice of Hollywood and American ‘culture’ around the world than its bombs in the era of TV. It was American culture that defeated Communism in Russia without a single bomb being dropped – they all wanted those darn Levis jeans and to be free to sing like Madonna.
So what is the lesson for India? Laos, like India was a colony of the West because it could not protect itself. Like India seeking help from the British to protect itself from Mughals, so too Laos sought protection from the French to protect itself from the Chinese. Empire was after all a mafia-style protection racket played by countries instead of Italian dons.
India should mirror the Chinese policy. As for my mission impossible to plant an Indian flag in China – I got within 160 miles of China – mountain biking through jungle roads, along paddy fields is tough – my 24 year old guide was more exhausted than me!
And whilst we are talking of incursions into Indian territory, India should also mirror the policy the UAE has undertaken over Qatar, and India should apply this to Pakistan – to encircle and embargo. The UAE and her allies have a bold policy to perceived terrorist sponsoring States. When I was lobbying the White House when working in Congress for Congressman Eliot Engel to have Pakistan declared a terrorist State, none of this was backed by the Government of India. Not their fault, in 1994, they had no budget for such lobbying activity. So I sent them the report at the Indian Embassy of how much the Government of Pakistan spent on lobbying! But to this day, UAE, have a bolder foreign policy than India on terrorism. Come on India. Encircle and Embargo Policy now. Stop being scared. Sanctions. Copy the policy of the West to mighty Russia. Encircle and Embargo.
Whilst we are at it, it should also do the same as Trump in enhanced due diligence from States it believes are fostering terrorism. Why is everyone bolder than India?
