Lesson for India from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War

 Russian president Vladimir Putin finally decided to stop the Western NATO power from coming too close to his country’s borders. Alarmed by the comment that Ukraine wants to become a nuclear power by Ukrainian prime minister Zelensky, Putin has invaded Ukraine and is either going to free it from its corrupt Western stooge government or he’s going to annex it, as he has now made it clear. To understand the full background of this war please listen to this interview of Anti-war expert Scott Horton. 

In a nutshell, this is a typical war of one criminal gang with another i.e., one nation state fighting with another for territorial gains or to protect its turf where he enjoys the monopoly of use over violence. The latter applies to Putin where he is trying to keep the Western powers away from coming too close to Russia’s borders. Wars are the main weapon of nation state gang leaders for gaining hold of an area on which they are going to exploit for their parasitical survival. In this war no one is a hero and no one a villain. No nation state has any moral superiority over the other in preaching the message of peace or moral righteousness because all nation states are villains of our societies.  These are the violent people who use violence as a political mean for their survival instead of working hard in the market and selling their surplus production to purchase the things they need for their survival peacefully. 

There is one crucial lesson here for India. 

1. India has abstained from voting against Russia in both the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) and the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Commission). 

Whatever logic the Modi government has behind this action, the implication of this is that in future when China or any other nation state will attack the Indian nation state, India will neither have any reason to oppose those attacks on a principled ground, nor can it scold other states for not coming to help because India has given tacit support to Putin’s actions of annexing another nation state. In any case when it comes to nation states it doesn’t really matter who is right or wrong. Nation states are criminal gangs and for criminals such moral issues are irrelevant. All nation states are immoral entities as they all begin and survive by using immoral and illegal acts of violence. In a war between one criminal gang and another the only important consideration is who is strong and who is weak. Whoever is strong will win the war and will gobble up their enemy’s territories. When the world is ruled by the ‘might is right’ principle, this is the end result we must expect and accept. When it comes to nation states, peace is illusionary. 

Indian prime minister Modi and many Indians are talking about peace right now, 

Amid a war between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India’s several needs are connected to the involved countries but it is on the side of peace and hopes that all problems get resolved through dialogue.

but they do not have any moral force behind their talks because these very same Indians are supporting their own government’s actions of abolishing article 370, which gave autonomy to the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir, and they are clamoring for a war with Pakistan. Most of these Indians, especially the voters of the ruling BJP party, are supporters of the idea of an Akhand Bharat (Undivided India). This undivided India includes the modern day countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, etc., and making them part of the Indian nation state means attacking them and grabbing their areas. This hypocrisy in international affairs is going to be costly for the Modi government and its supporters. You cannot talk about peace selectively. There is no alternative of peace. Peace is an absolute value which all must desire all the time, and not only when one’s side is weaker and is going to lose the war.

Nationalistic Indians only have two options today: If they talk about war then they must gear up for wars i.e., they must get the capability of fighting and winning wars, and if they cannot achieve this capability then they must stop talking about ideas like Akhand Bharat or starting a war with Pakistan or China. If they wish peace then demand peace all the time. Oppose immoral acts including condemning abolition of article 370. If Indians will support the Indian government’s take over of Jammu & Kashmir then they will be in no position to oppose China or Pakistan’s similar actions in their areas in the future. 

The lesson for Indians is clear: Stay ready for future wars or stop talking about war, and stop supporting their own government’s illegal and immoral actions like gobbling up Kashmir or creating an Akhand Bharat.