CHAPTER - 26

DEMANDS FOR GRANT - MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, 1980-81

Lok Sabha , 8th July 1980

EDITORIAL NOTE

The Speech is illustrative of the grasp the Y. B. Chavan had acquired over foreign affairs. It also exhibits his world view of India’s International relations.

In this speech Chavan has extensively dealt with his perspectives about improvement of relations with China.

Shri Y. B. Chavan (Satara) : Mr. Chairman, Sir, while participating in the debate on Demand, I must make one point clear. Though it is called a debate on Demands, foreign policy is normally based, by and large, on a national consensus and, therefore, I have always stated that this debate is a sort of loud thinking in this House. So, whatever I say, will be taken in that spirit. This is my first point.

When we take a review of the international situation today, I think we find one basic difference between the 1970s and 1980. This is the first year of a new decade when we find that the world of 1970s was a better than what it is today in 1980s. While 1970s was a decade of detente, 1980s seems to be a decade of crisis, a decade of confrontation, of another war. This is the situation that we see today in 1980. The situation has worsened, not only in our part of the world. Because of the situation in the neighbourhood, naturally in our region there is tension, there is an extremely grave situation and, as somebody had said the cold war has reached our doorstep. I think that description is quite correct. But if you see the world as a whole, what is happening in this part of the world a reflection of the new situation that is developing in the world today. I see one he basic difference that, in the 1970s the scene of activities and the focus of operation was Europe. I don’t think the problems of Europe have been solved as yet or have been minimised, but the focus has shifted from Europe to Asia, particularly South Asia and West Asia. This is the basic difference that we see.

Why has this happened? Naturally there are many causes, but this change has come about - from a decade of detente to a decade of confrontation and of crisis - because the perceptions of the super powers, of each other, are completely changed. And this is the basic reason for this change, as I see it.

Detente was considered possible because, possibly, the U. S. A. looked at the USSR in a different light. Possibly they looked themselves in a different light. At the present moment they are looking at it in a different light.

One of the well known American statesman has called the situation in the Middle East and in Africa in the terminology of geography; he said that this is the ‘crescent of crisis.’ From north-east Africa, taking the Middle East and the South Asia, including Turkey and Iran, he considers this to be a sort of ‘crescent of crisis’. And if we see the things, it appears to be true.