China strategists whose writings reflect the official thinking of the Chinese Government and it cannot be claimed that in China where the media is state-controlled that they are free to express independent personal views, have of late been propagating that India needs to be taught a lesson by a limited military action. Going a step forward a Chinese strategist now advocates that China with the help of separatist forces within India should attempt to fragment India into 20-30 independent states.

The credit of bringing this article in Chinese which was on the website of the China International Institute of Strategic Studies goes to Shri D S Rajan, Director Chennai Centre for Chinese Studies. He was the first to bring these Chinese views to Indian public notice by putting the English translation done by him on his website and also on the website of the South Asia Analysis Group. Next day the Indian media without giving credits to Rajan splashed these views in their publications. Notably, while the Chinese disruptive views in the strategic sphere can be expected, what was deplorable were the disparaging remarks made in the article on Hinduism.

The Chinese article was entitled �If China Takes a Little Action The So-Called Indian Federation Can Break Up�. The major points made in this Chinese article were to the following effect:

• India for all purposes is now a Hindu State
• Hinduism is now a decadent religion riven by castes and other weaknesses
• China should join with different nationalities in India like the Assamese, the Tamils and others and support them in establishing independent states.
• China could enlist Bangladesh to work on West Bengal
• China could use the ULFA with the aim of fragmenting India
• By using such strategies China can attempt to break India into 20-30 independent states.

The timing of this article on a China Government supported website coincident with the 13th round of India-China negotiations on the boundary issue makes the intentions of the Chinese Government that much more suspicious.

Contextually, it brings into bolder relief that this is not a new China strategy. China has been following disruptive strategies against India ever since the late 1950s when it started providing assistance to separatists groups in India�s North East States in the form of arms supplies, training and sanctuaries in China.

China can therefore now be expected to intensify these activities not only in Indian territories contiguous to China or in close proximity but wider afield too by exploiting local dissidence.

The moot question that arises is that how adversarial countries like China and Pakistan get emboldened to indulge in de-stabilizing activities against India with impunity?

The answer lies in the regrettable deficit of �strategic culture� in India�s political leadership, its Prime Ministers (Indira Gandhi inclusive) and its civilian security planning establishment over the years. It also lies in India�s intelligence agencies that seem to �situate� their threat assessments to be in consonance with their master�s personal predilections.

While the Indian TV media has started focusing on these issues but the print media is still being dominated by senior journalist�s writings with rigid Nehruvian era mindsets. They tend to de-capacitate an already a strategically incapacitated Indian political leadership from firm responses against those posing threats to India�s national security. Any advocacy of reciprocal responses is dismissed by this old generation as war mongering.

India�s political leaders need to ponder over the historical lessons as to why India could be taken over by Muslim invaders or British colonialists.

India�s political system therefore requires both a structural revival and a transformational infusion of bold leadership more in the genre of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. India needs �strategic giants� to lead India. 

August 16, 2009

Image under license with Gettyimages.com

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