THE world is witnessing calamitous wars, which are recasting the way diplomacy and economic ties have hitherto been conducted. India is caught in the vortex of chaos. One would have tho­u­­ght that in his Independence Day address on Sat­urday, which marked the 79th anniversary of freedom from Britain, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would discuss the fallout of the crisis and prepare the nation for the air pockets ahead. Instead, he was busy supervising a divisive song the Constituent Assembly had warned against in 1950.

Russia’s all but declared war with Nato and Iran’s taming of the US and Israeli militaries are indeed tectonic events. In their wake, India’s future as a regional power with global aspirations is at stake. The defence pact Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye has crucial implications, too, for the security bundobust in and beyond the oil-rich West Asia. Also, Modi has been tasked with hosting a potentially landmark BRICS summit next month, bringing together Russia, China and influential member states that are involved in or watching the Gulf conflict, with key members ranged against each other. Will the BRICS meeting set the tenor for the arriving changes or is India planning to play the spoiler?

India’s moral crisis deepened when Amnesty International said New Delhi had sent Israel 2,596 shipments of military ordnance, which could be used in the Gaza genocide. Modi, on his part, has already declared India’s stand by visiting Israel just before the assassination of Iran’s spiritual leader on Feb 28.

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