Choosing to go to Israel is the Indian prime minister’s prerogative and so far as it is seen in isolation so be it. No one can cavil at his choices though the wanderlust seems to be a bit bemusing in that he has completed 20 trips in a year. Currently, he is a global mover and shaker and being heard makes his choice of trips important.
But, when you leapfrog over the GCC and the Mid-East there is cause for pause. Modi would do well to consider placing the countries in that region on his itinerary. Not only because there is a historical relationship and a modern one built on trade and commerce but because establishing stronger ties between these member states makes common sense in the political arena.
The GCC is no pushover and with Saudi Arabia currently under some pressure such a visitation to each nation for a day would be a very powerful message of support and comfort to those living in troubled times. And no one would mind if the Indian leader elected to go to Iran in the course of things. He could actually be an adhesive and use his good offices to bring about negotiations for a durable peace.
Someone has to tell Modi that much of the goodwill he could inspire whether over Yemen or Syria and be heard is because of the huge Indian diaspora that throngs to his presence and gives him a conduit to address the world. Sadly, Modi is not using this weapon of numbers. The 6 million Indians living in the GCC would be the perfect hosts to make him feel at home and from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha and Bahrain he would make an impact.
It would also give him an insight into the fact that these are countries where Indian missions are the most overworked and understaffed and in need of a total overhaul and upgrade. Being ambassador or consul general anywhere else in the world is a vacation compared to working with such a huge number of expats and having one’s time stolen by Indian VIPs who demand so much attention whenever they have stopovers there.
But that is by the way a diplomatic issue. The main issue is being aware of political realities and widening one’s content to go beyond merely tom-toming one’s own achievements in foreign lands.
Modi’s foreign jaunts would then become muscled and have meaning and he might even with his rhetoric and the fact that leaders will listen to a man who has a nation of 1.2 billion people behind him get to make a breakthrough in deadlocks.
That he doesn’t pick up this obvious option comes as a surprise.
It is time he thought about it seriously.
