Left-Liberals, Don’t Confuse Morality with National Interest: Why India Should Maintain Its Defense Ties with Israel

 

The Controversial Letter from Left-Leaning Intellectuals

Amid global outrage over Iran and its proxies supporting terrorist activities against Israel, an intriguing letter has surfaced in the Indian media. This letter, published on a Left-leaning portal, urges the Indian Ministry of Defence to cancel licenses for defense manufacturing firms that export weapons to Israel. The letter has been signed by a group of self-proclaimed ‘eminent citizens,’ including politicians, activists, academicians, and social scientists. They argue that India’s continued export of arms to Israel, especially during its conflict with Gaza, contradicts the country’s obligations under international law and violates Articles 21 and 51(c) of the Indian Constitution.

Misinterpreting the Constitution for Political Ends

Article 21 refers to the "Right to Life," a provision that applies strictly to Indian citizens. However, the signatories, including some retired Supreme Court judges, seem to believe that these constitutional protections should extend to people in Gaza, an interpretation that is both legally and logically flawed. This overreach not only misrepresents the Constitution but also sets a dangerous precedent of mixing national interest with misplaced morality.

The Strategic Importance of India-Israel Defense Ties

If India were to follow the advice of these ‘eminent citizens’ and halt arms exports to Israel, it would cripple the country’s budding military-industrial complex at a crucial stage. Israel has proven to be one of India’s most reliable partners in developing a robust defense industrial base. The collaboration between the two nations has been instrumental in enhancing India’s military capabilities, particularly in facing the two-front challenge posed by China and Pakistan. Undermining this relationship would be a significant setback for India’s defense sector and national security.

The Hypocrisy of Selective Outrage

What is particularly condemnable is the silence of these ‘eminent citizens’ on China’s support for Hamas, which is aiding the targeting and evasion tactics against Israel. Moreover, a weapons trail linked to the violence in Manipur in India’s northeast was traced back to China, with arms being supplied via Myanmar to foment unrest in the region. Despite this, the same intellectuals have not condemned China’s actions. Nor have they spoken out against Pakistan’s ongoing support for terrorism in Jammu, which has resulted in the deaths of numerous Indian citizens.

The Real Motive Behind the Criticism

The Left-liberal intelligentsia appears to reserve their criticism exclusively for the Indian state, disregarding external threats. Their discomfort with India’s growing defense cooperation with Israel stems from a deeper unease with India’s rising military capabilities. By injecting moral and humanitarian concerns into matters of national interest and defense, they are attempting to undermine India’s strategic partnerships and weaken its position on the global stage.

Conclusion: National Interest Must Prevail

India’s defense cooperation with Israel is not just a commercial venture but a strategic necessity. It equips the nation to deal with the very real and present threats posed by neighboring adversaries. Mixing morality with national interest, as suggested by the Left-liberal intellectuals, is not only misguided but dangerous. In matters of national security, India must prioritize its interests and continue to strengthen its defense ties with reliable partners like Israel.

Extract of book “Snakes in the Ganga: Breaking India 2.0 Part 2 September 2022-by Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan https://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2023/3/2/Extract-of-book-Snakes-in-the-Ganga-Breaking-India-2-0.html

https://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2023/3/2/Extract-of-book-Snakes-in-the-Ganga-Breaking-India-2-0.html 

In part 1 of the article I had covered why the title of the book is Snakes in the Ganga, how caste and racism are being mixed,and why India needs to counter the dangers before it is too late.

 

 

 

 

In part 2, I will cover, the following:-

 

Dangerous Afro-Dalit project to paint Dalits as the ‘Blacks’ of India

Propagating Wrong Theory Of Foreign Aryans And Their Misdeeds

Funding activities inimical to India’s unity, sovereignty

Stopping Intellectual Support To Subversive Elements In India

How Snakes are Incubated, Nurtured In few American Universities

From Breaking India, written in 2011 to Snakes in the Ganga :Breaking India 2.0 written in Sept 2022

 

 

The byline ‘Breaking India 2.0’ explains there are new dangers compared to the ones discussed in Shree Malhotra’s earlier classic book, Breaking India, written in 2011 .The forces this time around are wider in scope and with substantial financial backing.

 

Brief summary of dangers visualized in the book Breaking India 1.0 as projected in 2011 are given in succeeding paras.

 

 

Dangerous Afro-Dalit project to paint Dalits as the ‘Blacks’ of India

 

 

In the 1990s, an African-American scholar at Princeton University told the author that he had returned from a trip to India, where he was working with the ‘Afro-Dalit Project’. This US operated and -financed project frames inter-jati /varna interactions and the Dalit movement using American cultural and historical lenses. The Afro-Dalit project purports to paint Dalits as the ‘Blacks’ of India and non-Dalits as India’s ‘Whites’. The history of American racism, slavery and Black/White relations is thus superimposed onto Indian society.

 

The Dalit experience bears little resemblance to the African slave experience of America.Dalits in India have reached the highest positions in all walks of life in India. But taking its cue from the American experience, the Afro-Dalit project attempts to empower Dalits by casting them as victims.

 

Dividing India on the basis of caste is perilous and should not be accepted. All individuals , organizations, NGOs running such programs should be stopped and blacklisted. Only united India will help the country to take its rightful place in the comity of nations faster.

 

 

Propagating Wrong Theory Foreign Aryans And Their Misdeeds

 

 

Separately, he was studying and writing about the ‘Aryans’, as to who they were, and whether the origin of Sanskrit and Vedas was an import by ‘invaders’ or indigenous to India. This led to research the colonial-era construction of the Dravidian identity, which did not exist prior to the nineteenth century and was fabricated as an identity in opposition to the Aryans. Its survival depends upon belief in the theory of foreign Aryans and their misdeeds.

 

The authors had also been researching the US Church’s funding of activities in India, such as the popularly advertised campaigns to ‘save’ poor children by feeding, clothing and educating them. However, during trips to India, The authors found that the funds collected were being used not so much for the purposes indicated to sponsors, but for indoctrination and conversion activities.

 

Additionally, the authors was involved in numerous debates in the US with think-tanks, independent scholars, human rights groups and academics, specifically on their treatment of Indian society as a sort of scourge that the west had to ‘civilize’.

 

https://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2023/3/2/Extract-of-book-Snakes-in-the-Ganga-Breaking-India-2-0.html