‘India-Africa Relations: Changing Horizons’ review: An eye-opener on Africa
The Hindu
With China taking a lead, India should deepen its political commitment in the continent, set aside sizeable financial resources, and increase the capability of project execution, says a new book
Books on international relations are written either by former diplomats, who take up writing as a hobby, or scholars, who pursue research and analysis as a profession. Diplomats tend to reminisce on their experiences, linking them with the history of the country concerned and provide personal accounts of their accomplishments, which are a useful source material for scholars, who do not have the opportunity to deal with events and personalities. Rajiv Bhatia, a consummate diplomat, in his monumental work,India-Africa Relations, Changing Horizons, has taken on the mantle of the scholar, rather than the diplomat. Autobiographical elements in the book are few and far between.
To take the case of Kenya, where Bhatia and I served, our bilateral relations were correct and cordial at best as Kenya was preoccupied with seeking development assistance from developed countries and our modest assistance programme, to which they had to contribute a share, was not very attractive to them. When we sought the Kenyan vote in a crucial election against Japan for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council, President Arap Moi told me frankly that Japan had raised bilateral assistance substantially in return for his vote. Kenya did not feel obliged to support India as a developing country, with which it had historical and sentimental ties. The yen mattered more than the linkages of the past.
In 2011, the Karnataka government announced that five botanical gardens will be developed on the lines of the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru across the State. But according to the latest developments, there will only be four such gardens as the Horticulture Department is most likely to drop the project that was supposed to come up in Chikkaballapura district.