There is no doubt that India's External Affairs Ministry has missed the pulse and the mood of the Arab populace and failed to realise that a storm was brewing against Arab Satraps, who hardly have the mandate to rule anymore. The officials posted abroad filed arm-chair reports casually after the usual hobnobbing with the rich and influential Arabs.
Having said that, India can hardly be called a reckoning force in Arab affairs and as such could not have played any major role in diffusing the tension or swaying the popular mood against autocrats. The writer has rightly pointed out that "globalisation of the mind requires an opinion on events elsewhere which reflects policy, persuasion and erudition".
India's half-hearted response has failed to enthuse its people. Hence, it calls for a closer scrutiny of India's connections with Arab countries.
Admittedly, the root cause for the socalled `winds of change' sweeping across the Arab world owes its credit partly to the poverty and partly to an Islamic `Renaissance'. Anger against unchecked poverty combined with radical religious thoughts is what is pouring out into the streets in the form of anti Government protests. Cyber activism and electronic media have given abundant impetus to this movement by serving as platforms to disseminate information to the forces behind the upheaval.
Though the Arab turmoil may deliver a body-blow to the geo-political interests of the US in the Arab world, there is hardly anything inspiring for the rest of the world in the developments fast unfolding. If anything, it is likely to have a debilitating impact on the oil situation globally. In addition, the writing is on the wall for the autocratic rulers of the Arab world -that the ruled can no longer be taken for granted. The anti-incumbency factor is growing at an alarming rate, gnawing at the very foundations of the state.
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