PowerdoctrineofAjitDoval:Whyitismuchbetterthanempty

Gandhigiri
byAug5,2015
#AjitDoval#India'sPower#InMyOpinion#NationalSecurity#NSA#Power#softpower#State#Tit
forTat#War#WesternIdeas
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WehavenotseenmuchclarityinIndianstrategicthinkingdespitethecomingandgoingofgovernments.
Maybe,thisisnowchanging.AjitDoval,ourNationalSecurityAdvisor(NSA),spokeinMumbai
yesterday(4August)on"StateSecurity,statecraftandConflictofValues",andhehadthistosay:"India
hasamentalitytopunchbelowitsweight.Weshouldnotpunchbelowourweightoraboveourweight,
butimproveourweightandpunchproportionately."
Thisisasimple,ifnotallthatoriginal,statementontheimportanceofwieldingpowereffectively
somethingIndianshaveseldomthoughtthroughinover5,000yearsofcivilisationalhistory,despite
indulginginperiodicspeculationaboutthetruenatureofpower.IfDovalandhisbossNarendraModi
convertthisprincipleintostrategicthoughtandpurposiveactionontheground,Indiawillbeasafer
placeinthelongerterm.
Amongotherthings,Dovalpointedouttheobvious:weakstatesinvitetroubleratherthanmitigateor
combatit."Ifyoumakeaprovocation,youarepartlyresponsible.Butifyouarenotabletoexercise
power,itisasgoodasnothavingit,"TheIndianExpressquoteshimassaying.Thisagainissomething
thatisobvioustoallbutthosewhosubstituteemotionforclearheadedthinkingandespeciallythose
peacenikswhobelievelightingcandlesatWagahorofferingunilateralconcessionswillbringpeacewith
Pakistan.ThisisusefulidiocyfromPakistan'spointofview,butwon'tdomuchforthesecurityof
Indians.

AjitDoval.AFP
Dovalalsomadeanimportantdistinctionbetweenindividualmoralityandstateactions.Anindividual
canembracenonviolenceandacceptnonretaliationasapersonalprinciple,butastatecannot.States
havetoactforthelargergood,anda"nationwillhavetotakerecoursetoallmeanstoprotectitself."
HealsopointedoutthesillinessofassertionsthathangingYakubMemon,convictedforthe1993
Mumbaiblasts,wassomekindof"statesponsoredkilling",asShashiTharoortweeted.Dovalsaid:"The
firstdutyofthegovernmentofIndiaistoprotectitself.Inthisprotection,conflictofinterestis
automatic...whenastateactsinajudicialway(through)thedueprocessoflaw,itsactionsarecorrect,
anditdoesnotreduceyoutomurderers."(Note:OnepresumeswhenDovaltalkedofthegovernmentof
India,hemeanttheIndianstateandnotaspecificgovernment.)
ThepointofquotingDovalatlengthisnottojustifytheMemonhangingortoindulgeinmachomuscle
flexingaboutterrorism,buttotalkabouttheusualIndianambivalenceaboutpoweranditsconcomitants.
Wehaveallowedallissuesrelatingtopowertodegenerateintoissuesofpersonalmorality,andinthe
processreducedourselvestoineffectiveandweakstatehood.Wearepayingthepriceregularlyforthis.
TheAbrahamicreligions(andtheresultantcivilisations)andIndicfaithslikeHinduism,Buddhismand
Jainismaskedthemselvesakeyquestionaboutpoweranditsdurability.Theycametoopposite
conclusions.Bothrecognisedthetransientnatureofindividualpowerultimatelywealldie,powerless
tochangeourfatebuttheconclusionswedrewfromthisrealisationhavemadeahugedifferencetoour
attitudestoit.
Indicphilosopherssawpowerastransientanddecided(byandlarge)thattheonlypowerworthhavingis
thepoweroverourselvessincethatdirectlyimpactsthequalityofourinnerandouterlives.Wethus
became"seekers"oftruthratherthan"believers"inabsolutetruths.Wedevelopedambivalentattitudesto
powerandwearestilluncomfortablewithitsacquisitionandusefortemporalends.Henceouremphasis
onmeditation,conquestofego,individualdharmaallofwhichempowerusspiritually,butleaveus
nakedwhenconfrontedwiththeexternal,physicalpowerofourenemies.
Thewestlookedatpoweranditstransientnatureandsawtheneedtomakeitlastandtheydeveloped
lawandinstitutionstoperpetuatepowerbeyondonelifetime.
Thetruthisnotthatthewestwasrightandwewerewrong,butthatbothapproachesareneeded.Today,
ifthewestisadoptingyogaandmeditationaslifestylechoices,itisbecausetheyseethepointlessnessof
havingmoneyandpowerandanempty,meaninglesslife.Wehavetolearntheoppositelesson:howto
userealpowerforlongtermbenefittosociety,evenwithoutlosingourbeliefininnerspiritualgrowth.
Ourfailuretoseekabalancebetweenpoweroveroneselfandlongtermstatepowerhasresultedinour

embracingsoftoptionsandtemporarynonsolutionsasasubstituteforstrategyandlongtermthinking.I
am,ofcourse,oversimplifying,foritisnottruethatIndianphilosophersandempirebuildersdidnotseek
thisbalance(ChanakyaNitiisoneexampleofthekindofthoughtthatwentintocreatingtheidealstate
usingvariedelementsofpower),buttheoverallfailuretoharnesspowerandputittogoodusehasbeen
veryvisibleinIndianhistoryandendurestothisday.
Thisisevidentinourwarinessabouttheacquisitionofeconomicandmilitarypowereventoday,and
explicitinourtendencytoconfuseargumentsaboutpowerwithargumentsaboutpersonalmorality.
Gandhitypifiedthisattitudebest.HeconsideredJesus'sSermononTheMountasermonforlosersthat
extolledthevirtuesofmeeknessashisguidingprinciple.Nehruvianpoliciesofhighmoralprinciples
andalowabilitytoliveuptothemareadirectoutgrowthofGandhi'spredilections.
Gandhi'sadvicetothevictimsofHitler'saggressionwassomethinglikethis:throwyourselfathismercy,
don'tfight,andwinthefascistdictatoroverthroughloveandpeaceableactivities.Whenitcameto
dealingwithHitler,racistWinstonChurchillhadbetterideasthanhypermoralGandhi.Thisisnottosay
Gandhiwaswrong,butadvicethatmaybeallrightforanindividualtoapplytohimselfmaynotberight
whenappliedthoughtlesslytoothersorthewholeofsociety.Personalmoralitythatresultsinfailure(or
success)onlyaffectsoneindividualwhenitappliestosocietyorstate,itcanleadtodisaster.
InArunShourie'sbookEminentHistorians,hequotesDrBRAmbedkartoshowhowinternallyfocused
BuddhismfailedtonotethethreatofMusliminvadersandtheiriconoclasticzeal.Inonefellswoop,the
invadersdestroyedallBuddhistmonasteriesandidolsoftheBuddha,hasteningthereligion'sdemise.
PassivismandlackofrealpowerplayedakeyroleinBuddhism'sextinguishmentfromthelandofits
birth.
Nothingillustratesourowncurrentselfdefeatingattitudestopowerandmoralitybetterthanthe
argumentswehaveheardoverthedeathpenalty.Thosewhowanttoendthedeathpenaltyarefondof
quotingGandhi'sobservationthataneyeforaneyeandatoothforatoothwillleavethewholeworld
blindandtoothless.
Gandhiclearlydidnotunderstandgametheoryandthepracticaloutcomesofhispersonalmorality.What
maybetrueforindividualviolencemaynotbetrueforsocietiesandthestate.IfIhityouintheeyeand
youhitmeback,andIbreakyourteethandyoureturnthecompliment,wemaybothbecomeblindand
toothless.Butthisisnotwhathappenstothelargersocietywhenatitfortatpolicyisfollowed.When
eyeforeyeandtoothfortooth,bothactionandreaction,continueforsometimebetweentwocombating
societiesortheirrespectivestates,bothlearntostartactingmorecarefully.Bothstatesproceedtoprotect
themselvesfromgoingblindortoothless.Thuseyesandteethgetbetterprotection,andovertime,both
learnthatthereisnogainintakingtheother'seyeorknockingouthistooth.Inshort,mutualstrength
createsmutualdeterrenceovertimeandleadstoadurablepeace.
ThiswasclearlyestablishedingametheoryexperimentsconductedbyRobertAxelrodin1980atthe
UniversityofMichigan.Axelrodinvitedgametheoriststosubmitstrategiesfortestingincomputer
simulatedgamestocheckwhetherbeingsaintlyisasubstituteforbeingsensible.Hisexperimentstried
toestablishwhetheropponentstriedtocooperateorcheatwhentheywereunclearabouttheother
person'srealintent.Tocutalongstoryshort(youcanreadasummaryofhisexperimentshere),the
strategythatwonmoreoftenthannotwastitfortat.Thatis,allplayersshouldtrygoodfaithinthe
firstinstance,butiftherivalplaysdirty,youpayhimbackinthesamecoin.Overtime,theplayerscan
learntocooperate.

TheGandhianargumentofblindnessandtoothlessesisvalidonlyintheindividualcontext,where
winningandlosingcanbedefinedbyeachperson.Aninabilitytohitbackinthesocietalornational
contextwill,ontheotherhand,actuallyinviteattacksasNehrufoundoutwiththeChinesein1962,and
aswehaverepeatedlyfoundoutbytreatingPakistanwithkidgloves.Astrongstatewiththeabilityto
giveasgoodasitgetsisaprerequisiteforpeace.
NowconsiderwhatthetrueinheritorsthinkofJesus'sSermonontheMountactuallydoasopposedto
whattheyprofess.NoChristianmajoritynationfromAmericatoBritaintoanymemberofthe
EuropeanUnionwilleverturntheothercheekwhenhit.DidGeorgeBushturntheothercheekafter
9/11?Hehitbacktwiceashard.DoesIsraelbelieveinrollingwiththepunchesorgiveitbackindouble
measure?Theyretaliate,theyfight,theytrytowin.NoMuslimstatewillevertalkpeaceifitfeels
wrongedwhetherthewrongisrealorimagined.
Thereasonissimple:thewesthaslearnttoseparatepersonalmoralityfromstatemorality.Individual
Christiansmaybewillingtobefedtothelionsinpursuitoftheirmoralideals,butthestatewillnever
throwitscitizenstoexternallionsforthesakeofpeace.
Thewest'sanswertothetransientnatureofpowerwastomakeitendurenotthroughindividuals,butthe
creationofastrongstate,throughlawandinstitutions.Thisisanimportantlessonforustolearn.A
strongstateputslawandinstitutionsabovetheindividualandthuscanactbenevolentlyinpracticea
weakstatewillbetyrannousinrealityasitcannotbeheldaccountableforfailingtodoitsjob.Afterall,
itisweakbydefinition.
Onlyastrongstatecanwieldpowersensiblyandpunchatitstrueweight.Whenitcomestothestate,
weaknessequalsimmorality.