Few like bullies in the schoolyard or beyond. However, many may not want to stand up to such disgraceful behaviour in fear of being the next target. In this sense, more than a few are scared of displeasing Washington when it threatens them with sanctions and other vicious punitive measures, irrespective of their merit. More Russian neighbours worry what aggressive behaviour Moscow will apply to them as they try to move closer to a more prosperous EU and NATO. And some of these cruel politicians behind over-the-top bullying threats, may want to overly play a macho tough, “crowd pleasing” jingoism to impress upon their constituents that they are really out to clobber those too resistant to their country’s demands. America is not the only bully at times, but so is China and Russia, though usually the latter two much less so, globally.
Some leaders seem to get bizarre thrills by inflicting pain on even the innocent, especially those standing up to them. Or the bully may simply think to best get (unfair) benefits for themselves and their nation that they should just always look like they wish to “punch you in the face”. This may be so especially if they have muscular arms. Both Russia and NATO seem involved to some degrees in such muscular strutting with China doing the same on India’s border and southern and eastern Asian seas.
Too much of this bullying is seeing measurable increases in recent years. India, opposing such a mentality needs to help to mitigate it as both self-protection of average Indians and the world’s poor.
India, indeed, has had its fair share of being a victim of this, but the current Narendra Modi government is visibly and successfully trying not to put up with such thoughtless attacks on it from hegemons or others.
The opposition to India’s real interests should be aware that New Delhi cannot be intimidated to act outside of protecting major, common Indian interests, especially when pressed by foreign bullying tactics. To borrow on a quote from the famed, late “Iron Lady”, and ex UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher- “Prime Minister Modi is not for the turning.” India will not lay itself down as a red carpet to be walked over by those fully supporting the West’s over-consuming economic and military proxy wars against Russia. Or to do so similarly to let Beijing grab Indian territory or cave into Russia’s new distaste for it being in the Quad in its defence with the US against Chinese territorial encroachment.
Also, the US is unfairly overly pushing extra-territoriality beyond sensible bounds by trying to determine who can trade in energy and other products with Russia and at what price. And charging hundreds of millions of dollars to violators. But the West still trades significantly with Russia which rings with supreme hypocrisy, additionally.
Despite these unreasonable pressures, India will carry on buying from Moscow discounted energy to fertiliser. And it is doubtful that trade with China will not remain significant even if under full potential because of the difficult relationship between New Delhi and Beijing.
Washington and others, then will just have to swallow India being rather independent of direct or implied sanction or military threats, current or future ones. And no opposition party, including Congress, would benefit at the April to May 2024 polls by standing behind any new major sanctions by the US-led West that would even seriously side-swipe Indian interests. That might include any possible new (total) export bans against Russia proposed by the US that would lead to jacked-up Indian food costs. Nor would excess pressures by Moscow to get India to leave the Quad would be accepted by any sane major Indian party. Bullies are not so great at measuring collateral damage from their actions. Russia and China need to think about this too more carefully at times?
One of the worst current examples of sanctions impacting food relates to a UN-Turkey brokered deal to get grain from Ukraine out of the Black Sea, whose access is significantly controlled by Moscow. The agreement is only being selectively implemented to the West’s and NATO’s contentment but not Russia’s. As a result, developing countries and places like India in food need at more affordable prices, are being hurt especially for the poor. Does the West also feel it too convenient not to implement its side of the bargain with Russia. Is this part of the US-led West’s rules based order of convenience? Bullies think too much that they can do anything they want to?
But still with its punitive bans, so ineffective but hurting the South, Washington goes back to the “poison well” of destructive sanctions and a bellicose voice of fear and derision to many who would or could not implement them. Such repetition of failure falls well within Einstein’s definition of insanity. This is clearly not good for generating rational international relations indeed to which India’s responsible, external Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar underlines the importance.
Washington really needs to be much more responsible in understanding the collateral damage it creates by its overwhelming, seemingly “pathological” preoccupation “to get Putin and Russia”. Meanwhile, the longer Russia stays in Ukraine, the more the US puts forward sanctions hurting the South, directly or indirectly.
This further diverts funds and attention away from sustainable development of the South and beyond and makes Moscow look plain stubborn and overly aggressive beyond rationality, too. And a war that undermines the US as an enlightened, democratic role model. A unilateralism that more gets the focus on it as a war profiteer and not-with-it bullying hegemon to hit out as much as it can in its declining years of frustration.
When a bully has been so often cruel and insensitive for years and then begins to stagger, the real sentiments many feel against it, may begin to more than seep out. This kind of karma may be what Washington fears in a multipolar world. But bully-like actions will only make the transition harder.
For India with its dharma philosophy, it is not intent on revenge to US neo-imperialism or the near extinct British empire that exploited it so badly. Nor bad mouthing Russia for its ill-conceived actions in Ukraine or brutally reacting to Chinese expansionism. Rather, it wants to be like a wise elder suggesting peace, reconciliation and even cooperation worldwide despite the bullying attitudes at times by the West or others. India should continue these endeavours not only to make this an era of peace not war but of much less geopolitical bullying during its chair of the G20, in particular. Big geopolitical perpetrators of bullying, take note.
Peter Dash, an educator is a former professor and past Associate of Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs, Cambridge, USA.