Page 28 - ICWA NewsletterOctober- December 2020

INDIAN COUNCIL
OF WORLD AFFAIRS SAPRU HOUSE

INDIA QUARTERLY

A Journal of International Affairs

Volume 76, Issue 4
October-December, 2020

Editorial to its own playbook of
heightened nationalism,
imperial dreams and
These are vexing times. And a world ordered by
not just because we have been Confucian notions
imprisoned by a virus. Economies of hierarchy.
have been shattered and people Our articles in this issue of the that while
let down by their governments. India Quarterly address some of the attachment to land sparks
Worse, the enormity of the these concerns. The first article conflict, territory also shapes
pandemic has not brought the looks at why the relationship identity and, hence, conflict.
global community together to deal between China and India, already The second article evaluates
with what is, after all, the only complex and challenging, has the effect of resource-related
actually global crisis in a century. come to a point where China conflicts on Africa’s security and
On the contrary, the world has seems willing to throw away the concludes that given the large-
become witness to an equally hard-won gains of many decades scale impact of these effective
unprecedented relapse into a of dialogue. With the ongoing resource management strategies in
Spencerian scramble for survival crisis at the Galwan Valley, Africa are key in curbing “security
and domination. India seems ready to discard challenges … and conflicts ensuing
from resource ownership in
On the foreign policy and strategic ‘ambivalence’ towards Beijing and the continent”. Our last article
front, the fault lines of current to assess its options anew. China’s assesses the impact of Namibia’s
conflicts have been present for ambition to establish a new global foreign policy principles, especially
some time, but the pandemic has order is echoed by other powers as the values of democracy, peace
presented states an opportunity well. Turkey for one has been busy and security, in the making of
to fill out their contours. From in the last decade fraternising with its mediation initiatives in the
West Asia to Africa and Asia, African governments and engaging region. The author argues that
states are positioning themselves, with ‘non-Western regional and while Namibia is a young state,
sometimes, for peace and stability sub-regional organizations’. it has been successful in making
in their neighbourhoods but more Recep Erdoğan’s ambitions are a contribution to peace in the
often than not to the detriment clearly not being held back by Southern African region. The
of other states. More broadly, European and Russian opposition. article leaves us on a hopeful note.
the world’s two major powers Two articles look at the intra and
have now collided overtly over interstate roots of violence in
claims to global leadership. Africa. From a view on the ground,
While global governance rules one author addresses the close Madhu Bhalla
are being questioned even by relationship between collective Editor, India Quarterly
those who created them, the new identity, struggle for space and
global power, China, has reverted collective violence. He concludes

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