Opinion | The emerging British pressure campaign against India
By Tom Fowdy
The conflict in Ukraine has got India into a bind. New Delhi, which traditionally adheres to a non-aligned foreign policy, has long courted Russia as a critical strategic partner in terms of both economic and military considerations. However, the invasion of Ukraine comes amidst India in recent years having also tilted towards the United States and other western countries as part of the fabled "Indo-Pacific strategy" to counter China, perceiving strategic, economic and political gain for the country, particularly as part of the "Quad" grouping.
As an inevitable consequence, the West is now dismayed at India's strategic partnership with Moscow and its failure to condemn the war in Ukraine. New Delhi abstained at a United Nations General Assembly vote condemning the war, and has vowed to establish direct bilateral currency trade with Russia in Rupees and Rubles in order to avoid sanctions, provoking a discussion in Washington D.C. as whether India should be subject to secondary measures for failure to adhere to western demands, marking a clear slide towards the unraveling of western partnership with India.
Whilst this new geopolitical picture is emerging, the Britain's BBC in the meanwhile appears to be initiating a campaign to put pressure on New Delhi over its relationship with Moscow in an attempt to salvage its position and drive a wedge between the two powers. This has produced an unusual shift in editorial focus by the broadcaster, of which prior to this war had focused on a relentless China agenda. It should be noted as important context that the BBC World Service since its foundation has coordinated its line in conjunction with the interests of the British foreign office. Crystalized in the Cold War, the world service's institutional culture was shaped on what scholars have described as a "lingering attachment to Empire"- striving to uphold a British sphere of influence in former colonial dominions, which of course includes India.
When viewing India, British foreign policy does not feel apologetic or remorseful about the brutal legacy of Empire in that country, but instead a sense of exceptionalism which believes the British Raaj done a service to India, and in turn continues to see bilateral ties in rosy and nostalgic terms. This mindset has been amplified by a combination of Brexit and the "Indo-Pacific" tilt by Britain, of which has seen improving relations with New Delhi as a new priority with an eye against China. In conjunction with this, the BBC has waged a number of misinformation campaigns against Chinese activities in what it deems to be its own sphere of influence in the Indian Subcontinent, which has included multiple negative stories about "debt traps" pertaining to Sri Lanka, and an unsubstantiated claim that China was encroaching on Nepal's border in February.
As a result, the Ukraine war has now changed the priorities of the British State and the BBC to confront New Delhi's relationship with Moscow, of which it now sees as a liability. In doing so, the past few days has seen the BBC noticeably increase the number of articles critical of India on its frontpage coverage, despite the overwhelming focus of the news cycle on the war. Many of these stories are attacking Indian domestic politics, occupying a space frequently occupied by Hong Kong and Xinjiang-related matters throughout 2021. In addition to this, the BBC has also given extensive emphasis to the plight of Indians suffering in Kyiv. Noticeably, this has not mirrored the attention given to that of any other country's nationals. It has also sought to accuse Russia of launching misinformation campaigns against matters regarding Indians, including a reportedly false claim that Ukrainian forces were using Indian civilians as "human shields".
This change in attitude visible poses significant challenges for India's formal position of non-alignment up against its previous tilt to the West. Western countries, having assumed New Delhi to be a partner on ideological terms, are now making demands of it to adhere to its agenda on Russia, posing to compromise its strategic autonomy in the process. This may pose to significantly weaken the "Indo-Pacific strategy" as the West scrambles to defend the Euro-Atlantic security order. It's a reminder that the compromises Modi has made to tilt towards the West ultimately come with strings attached, which are now visible in the sharp turn the BBC is taking against his country, determined to cement Britain's influence in its former colonial dominion.
The author is a well-seasoned writer and analyst with a large portfolio related to China topics, especially in the field of politics, international relations and more. He graduated with an Msc. in Chinese Studies from Oxford University in 2018.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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