The May 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan and the bedlam that followed showed the continent called Asia was divided.
It showed the US intelligence could not thwart the determination of patriotic Indians and a decisive Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- though he did not have enough numbers in Lok Sabha.
But the Nuke tests also might have left India's strategic community and experts divided. There were strong differences of perception on what actions of a nuclear Pakistan and a nuclear China can a nuclear-power India deter.
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| Vajpayee and Clinton - 1998-99 |
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| Putin, Kim and Xi -- 'axis of upheaval' |
In 2025 -- the world is changing. The coming decades are likely to see India and also countries such as North Korea and China becoming much more vulnerable to the new challenges and importantly - the new form of warfare. These will be centred around information, artificial intelligence and enhanced used of technology and innovation.
From Indian perspective -- we may point out that the conflicts so far (one with China in 1962) and the multiple ones with Pakistan (2025 - Operation Sindoor), 1999 (Kargil conflict), 1971 (Bangladesh war) and also the battle of 1965 were all short-lived.
Operation Sindoor lasted four days. And the big chaos was triggered by Congress and other traditional Modi-bashing army -- why was it called off.
The previous wars - 1962 with China --- was a 32-day ordeal and the country was embarrassed in more ways than one.
The 1965 war with Pakistan when Lal Bahadur Shastri was PM lasted for 22 days. India won a decisive battle but it also lost Prime Minister Shastri in quite a bizarre manner in Tashkent - a few months later.
The 1971 war was for 14 days. India created Bangladesh but did so without examinig the consequences. And Bharat - as a Hindu majority nation - continues to pay a heavy price.
In 2025 India has got a bad taste of 'friendship' and for trusting the US under a whimsical and over ambitious President Donald Trump. It has been forced to move closer to China and of course Russia is alongside.
The bigger issue lies elsewhere.
Trump’s belligerence has also pushed China's Xi Jinpoing and Putin of Russia and North Korea's Kim to come together.
India was at SCO Meet but fortunately, the grand parade was not Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any one to represent the country. And thankfully so!!
Now we have analysts suggesting that – Kim, Xi and Putin together means they would be 'tearing the old world order apart'. Good that Namo was not there.
The images of the grand parade coming out of the Chinese capital from the Tiananmen Square challenged Donald Trump on multiple counts.
There was a mega puncturing of Trump’s insecure ego.
There was a striking feebleness of his response -- a man wholikes to be at the centre stage of everything remarkably happening. The same Trump made claims over 30 times that he had brokered Indo-Pak ceasefire on May 10th, 2025.
The parade will greatly gratify Xi.
Of course, Trump’s behaviour towards China since taking office in January 2025 has been aggressive, vindictive and at times patronising.
Parading the Beijing triumvirate was Xi’s pointed rebuke.
Most worrying for the US navy patrolling the western Pacific was Xi unveiling of hypersonic, nuclear-capable, long-range missiles and underwater drones.
China is/was “unstoppable,” Xi declared.
In marking the end of the second world war, “humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” he said.
This, too, according to Simon Tisdall (in 'The Guardian')
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| Beijing flower fest - 2019 |
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