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By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014...

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014 interview. He stated that "there was a time when we counted waves from the shore; now the time has come to take the helm and plunge into the ocean ourselves."   In a world racing toward conflict, Modi has proven India's foreign policy ranks among the world's finest. Guided by 'Nation First' and prioritising Indian safety and interests, it steadfastly embodies  'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' , the world as one family.   Policy Shines Modi's foreign policy shines with such clarity and patience that even as war flames engulf West Asian nations, Indians studying and working there return home safe. In just 13 days, nearly 100,000 were evacuated from Gulf war zones, mostly by air, some via Armenia by road. PM Modi talked with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian to secure Iran's airspace for the safe evacuation of Indians, a privilege denied to any other nation. Additionally, clearance was granted for Indian ships carrying crude oil and LPG to pass safely through the Hormuz Strait. No other country's vessels are navigating these waters, except for those of Iran's ally, China. The same strategy worked in the Ukraine-Russia war: talks with both presidents ensured safe corridors, repatriating over 23,000 students and businessmen. Iran, Israel, or America, all know India deems terrorism or war unjustifiable at any cost. PM Modi amplified anti-terror campaigns from UN to global platforms, earning open support from many nations.   Global Powerhouse Bolstered by robust foreign policy and economic foresight, India emerges as a global powerhouse, undeterred by tariff hurdles. Modi's adept diplomacy yields notable successes. Contrast this with Nehru's era: wedded to Non-Aligned Movement, he watched NAM member China seize vast Ladakh territory in war. Today, Modi's government signals clearly, India honors friends, spares no foes. Abandoning non-alignment, it embraces multi-alignment: respecting sovereignties while prioritizing human welfare and progress. The world shifts from unipolar or bipolar to multipolar dynamics.   Modi's policy hallmark is that India seal defense deals like the S-400 and others with Russia yet sustains US friendship. America bestows Legion of Merit; Russia, its highest civilian honor, Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. India nurtures ties with Israel, Palestine, Iran via bilateral talks. Saudi Arabia stands shoulder-to-shoulder across fronts; UAE trade exceeds $80 billion. UN's top environment award, UNEP Champions of the Earth, graces India, unlike past when foreign nations campaigned against us on ecological pretexts.   This policy's triumph roots in economic empowerment. India now ranks the world's fourth-largest economy, poised for third in 1-2 years. The 2000s dubbed it 'fragile'; then-PM economist Dr. Manmohan Singh led. Yet  'Modinomics'  prevailed. As COVID crippled supply chains, recession loomed, inflation soared and growth plunged in developed countries,  Modinomics  made India the 'bright star.' Inflation stayed controlled, growth above 6.2 per cent. IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas praised it, advising the world to learn from India.

The Fighter Jet as Foreign Policy

Canada’s fighter-jet dilemma exposes a deeper rupture in North American trust.

Canada’s fighter-jet procurement has become a proxy war for something far larger than defence modernisation. As reported by the CBC, Ottawa has quietly begun making payments for long-lead components for 14 additional F-35s, even as a formal review of the contract with Lockheed Martin grinds on. The contradiction is revealing. It suggests that Canada is trying to keep its options open in an alliance that no longer feels reliably allied.


Officially, nothing has changed. The Department of National Defence insists the review continues. Prime Minister Mark Carney has declined to specify how many jets Canada will ultimately buy. Legally, Ottawa is bound only to the first tranche of 16 aircraft, due to arrive from 2026. But money has a logic of its own. By paying now for components tied to a further 14 jets, Canada preserves its slot in a congested global production queue.


The F-35, known formally as the F-35 Lightning II, has long been a political millstone. It is the most expensive weapons programme in modern history, and Canada’s share has swollen by roughly C$8bn beyond original estimates. The planned fleet of 88 aircraft was meant to cost C$19bn; sustainment costs will dwarf that. What was sold as interoperability has come to look like dependency.


That dependence matters because Canada’s strategic environment has shifted abruptly ever since US President Donald Trump has revived trade warfare and rhetorical belligerence. Tariffs have duly been slapped on Canadian exports. Threats have been floated to decertify Canadian-made aircraft. Trump has made a bad joke about making Canada the 51st US State. His commerce secretary has mused aloud about withdrawing from treaties governing the Great Lakes, NORAD and even the Five Eyes.


For a country whose defence has been structured around intimate American integration, this is destabilising. NORAD, the bedrock of continental air defence, assumes that the Royal Canadian Air Force can field credible fighters of its own. If it cannot, then American aircraft will have to fill the gap, ironically increasing Washington’s costs while eroding Ottawa’s sovereignty. The F-35 was supposed to lock in that partnership for decades. Instead, it has exposed its fragility.


Hence the renewed interest in Sweden’s Saab and its Gripen fighter. Saab has signalled a willingness to expand production in Canada, potentially assembling aircraft not only for Ottawa but also for Ukraine, which has expressed interest in more than 100 Gripens. Such numbers would require a dramatic expansion of Saab’s manufacturing capacity, possibly on Canadian soil. For policymakers in Ottawa, this technology diversification, with its industrial offsets and a subtle rebuke to American arm-twisting is tempting.


The idea of a mixed fleet that would include some F-35s for high-end stealth missions and some Gripens for air policing is gaining currency. While it would certainly complicate logistics militarily, it would hedge risks politically. Unlike the F-35, the Gripen comes with fewer strings attached and greater latitude over software, upgrades and deployment.


Yet, Canada cannot simply walk away. Its aerospace sector, the world’s fifth-largest, is deeply embedded in the F-35’s global supply chain. Canadian firms produce components for hundreds of aircraft flown by allied air forces. A full withdrawal would endanger domestic jobs and invite retaliation.


The result is paralysis by partial commitment. Canada pays just enough to avoid losing its place, while signalling loudly that the relationship needs rebalancing. It is a risky dance. The longer uncertainty persists, the higher the costs - financially, diplomatically and strategically.


What is really under review is not a contract but an assumption that proximity guarantees partnership. For decades, the United States and Canada treated defence integration as an unshakeable fact of geography. Today, it has become a bargaining chip. Ottawa’s flirtation with the Gripen is less about Sweden than about sending a message to Washington as allies, like aircraft, cannot be taken for granted.

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