As the state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to an end this evening at our National Cultural Center, there’s gonna be an outpouring of emotions as the historical connections and bonds between our two nations are celebrated by ordinary folks from all over Guyana. They will be showing up to see in the flesh the man who epitomises India’s rise in the world from being a poster child of poverty to being placed at number 4 in the size of its economy – long pipping its erstwhile colonial ruler, Britain!!
We in Guyana are locked in fraternal squabbles, and the bitterest fights are within families!! Some in Guyana think that India might take a “side”, based on the fact that one of those sides has a common origin. They, however, forget that countries don’t act on sentiments, but on cold, calculated assessments of their interests. There’s the old truism that, in international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies; only permanent interests!! And countries will pursue those interests at all costs at the national level, rather than getting involved in any internecine squabble!!
Matters like cultural ties and commonalities in religion are lumped as “soft power” – to be deployed to cultivate friendships and loyalties to satisfy those interests. Let there be neither ambiguity nor doubt about that!! Eating food from lotus leaves would only earn you a good-natured chuckle, at best!!
Take India’s stance vis-a-vis Venezuela, which under Mad Maduro is our most implacable foreign enemy. India’s interest is to secure supplies of oil to fuel its industrial growth; and, as such, India has turned a blind eye to Maduro’s domestic and international bullyism, while its giant conglomerate Reliance exploits the US by waiving its oil sanctions against Venezuelan crude. But knowing that Trump’s most likely gonna remove the waiver, we just learnt that Modi asked for an agreement with us for two million barrels of oil – the exact quantity Reliance gets from Venezuela!! The point of it all is that Brazil – because of its own strategic concerns about Venezuela’s pompousness about its South American pre-eminence – would be a more reliable ally against Venezuela than India!!
But, in the meantime, India came bearing gifts — for all Caricom, not just Guyana: scholarships, ferries, pharma, mobile hospitals, and turning seaweed into fertilizer. Compared to our singular vote, Caricom has FIFTEEN votes at the UN!! Interests, baby!! Interests!!
So, what are OUR interests, that India can help with while pursuing its own interests?? Your Eyewitness has spoken repeatedly that mega-farming should form the core of that engagement.
India has got hundreds of millions of mouths to feed, while we have millions of acres of land to farm!!
…on Gaza Genocide
As an example of pursuing interests and not sentiments – about even morality – the US just VETOED a UNSC resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip!! Guyana was among the 10 non-permanent members pushing for implementing the resolution passed back in June, but the 10 were trumped by the US veto!! Now, we know that the US’ interest in supporting Israel in its cold-blooded drive to push all Palestinians into the sea has to do with them looking at Israel as a base for securing control over the strategic MidEast oil. But what were our interests in voting for the resolution?? Not entirely sentiments!! It’s in our interest to push as best as possible for the continuation of the multilateral dispute settlement that was promised at the end of WWII. As a small sardine swimming among sharks in the international order, it is in our interest that settlements are “rules-based”. So, we gotta also push for abolishing UNSC vetoes!!
…of Opposition
With the Opposition frantically contemplating another five years in the (political) wilderness, your Eyewitness was surprised they didn’t come out complaining to Modi about “rigged elections”.
But hold it!! Mia was there, and would’ve burst their bubble!!
