Is pursuit of peace a crime? I would think not. Unfortunately every day, however, we learn new lessons on the dangers of pushing for the amicable resolution of disputes. Just consider what Benjamin Netanyahu, CBS and Senator Lindsey Graham have collectively wrought against Pakistan. I have already taken pains to highlight how Indian media and punditry have approached the matter. As if being judged and mischaracterised for trying to end the Iran war was not enough, you find many Western and Indian pundits losing it when you say you want President Trump's China visit to be an outstanding success. Every time this happens, my faith in humankind takes a tumble.

Recently I have seen well-respected public intellectuals like Happymon Jacob and Nirupama Rao pushing for controlled rivalry between the US and China so that they could be played against each other to India's greater advantage. Make no mistake. This was a central pillar of India's policy for a quarter of a century. But there always was an element of plausible deniability. If intellectuals of such repute are forced to say the quiet part aloud in public now, you know something has gone awry. They fail to notice that the expiry date of such a policy has come and gone. A controlled rivalry is no longer a tenable position. Either these two giant economies will complement each other or try to decouple for a cold war. Since India did not invest in strengthening its currency or training its workforce, the latter means economic suicide.

Keep going. To borrow Churchill's words, India today has become a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I have repeatedly pointed........

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