Dateline Manhattan

In New York Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s bid for space at the high table was inevitable. India’s candidature for a permanent se...

In New York Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s bid for space at the high table was inevitable. India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council has been made with convincing clarity far too many times — and in recent days has been seconded by various members of the P-5, like Britain, and those who’d join India on the council, like Brazil and Germany. There is, therefore, no surprise in the prime minister’s quiet assertion in his address to the General Assembly that the democratisation of the UN is overdue. What is welcome, however, is the wider matrix he posited this claim in. In a speech propelled by the twin themes of cooperation and consensus, as too by the reminder to deliver on the goals of democracy and development, he committed India to the process of finding solutions. The country’s claim to permanent membership of the Security Council, he indicated, is not based on fuzzy visions of superpowerdom. It is, instead, a reflection of the global dimensions of most contemporary challenges — terrorism, pandemics, under-development, technology transfer, humanitarian crises — and the role India is uniquely placed to play in negotiating solutions.

The UN General Assembly session has traditionally been an autumnal tryst between India and Pakistan. So it was this time. But the tenor and substance of their words to each other was different. Instead of stern warnings, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf exchanged affirmations of their pledge to a composite, bilateral dialogue. It is nothing more than what has been restated repeatedly since that breakthrough in Islamabad piloted by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Musharraf this January. Yet this demonstration of continuity is valuable. This soft rhetoric signals the institutionalisation of the dialogue. A great deal needs to be delivered as proof of the pudding, but given the fragility of a peace process, these utterances inspire immense confidence — in addition, they keep a lid on extravagant expectations. It will take equally skilled diplomacy in days ahead to shepherd the process forward while remaining alert to the temptations of overreach.

By grounding his worldview on consensus and constructive cooperation, Singh has unveiled a mature foreign policy. For too long now the United Nations has been ripe for reform. The post-Iraq war scenario has only accentuated the crisis in multilateral institutions like the UN. The prime minister has done well to put forth India’s commitment to that exercise.