Stupendous Man

In the may of 1974, the operation Smiling Buddha shook the world for its sudden explosion. India exploded a nuclear bomb and formally declared that it was now capable of going ahead with nuclear development. International concern were suitably expressed, though that did nothing much to deter Indira Gandhi’s position. However it took another 24 years for the Buddha to smile again. It would have happened much earlier unless Uncle Sam didn’t put his foot down and threaten the then Prime Minister of India – Narsimha Rao. However the warning of 1990s served as the right precaution for Operation Shakthi in 1998. Done with extreme caution, planning and deception, in the may of 1998, India conducted five more nuclear tests and declared itself a Nuclear Capable State. In the days that followed, Pakistan conducted its own and declared itself as a nuclear capable state.

The double shock that shook the world also shook the white house and raised very anxious concerns about the developments in South Asia, particularly with President Clinton. President Clinton, a strong advocate of CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) and NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) considered India’s involvement as a very important step in its success – and India was not to accede to such ridiculous treaties which were completely biased towards the already nuclear capable states. Strobe Talbott, under Madeline Albright, secretary of state was almost by chance asked to deal with “problem” of India – The person with whom he had more than 14 diplomatic talks (as they called it) across 2 years, on 5 different continents, in 7 different countries defined the process of US-India relations during the period from 1998-2000 and then there after. The person was Jaswant Singh.

Engaging India, a book by Strobe Talbott recalls the background, the 14 meetings, the aftermath of the talks and more during the times when India went on to declare itself a Nuclear capable country.

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Jaswant Singh comes across in the book as a finely balanced man in his dealings with foreign governments. As Strobe himself admits it, during their talks in time, Jaswant was able to take more from United States than give back to them. United States agenda was simple – get India to sign CTBT or NPT immediately, declare what it considered as minimum credible deterrent, stop nuclear testing immediately and stop fission process. However it was not simple for Strobe Talbott to achieve any of the conditions that he wanted achieved – to emphasize Uncle Sam declared sanctions against India – however as Jaswant Singh played it along, India knew it was not before long the sanctions would have no meaning.

Strobe Talbott is an immensely good writer; his journalistic skills are displayed in full flourish as he recounts each of his meetings with Jaswant Singh, and then their Pakistani counterpart, intertwined with delicate wit and humor. At times, Strobe writes justifying in both directions of the talks, and marks his observations about India’s and Pakistan’s destinies during the time. His flair at writing is fully demonstrated by the fact that you are completely hooked to this book of mere 200 pages from the moment you pick it up.

The book, is also filled with interesting characters and episodes from politics defining time – Particularly note worthy is the character of Nawaz Sharif as it comes across in the book. The way the India – Pakistan Kargil episode was handled is brilliantly discussed in the book, and President Clinton’s phone calls with Vajpayee come across as the highlight of the book.

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However what sets apart this book is its honest portrayal of times during 1990-2000’s. It also emphasizes the meetings that defined a new beginning to India-US relations, and how that dialogue between Strobe Talbott and Jaswanth Singh helped define a solid path amongst the two countries. Amongst many things, Talbott specially notes how a couple of times, talks between both the countries were on verge of breakdown, but finally sustained the day. But more importantly, the book manages to demonstrate India’s resilience and being treated as an equal in today’s world.

All in all, an excellent read, providing great insight and thought into the politics that played after India’s nuclear blasts. A must read!