Delusional Politics
Page 24
7. Entry 14 of List I of the Seventh Schedule and Article 253 of the Constitution.
8. As per the department of industrial policy and promotion, the FDI inflow in India grew on an average of 35 per cent in the past three years—plus 28 per cent in the year 2014–15; 39 per cent in the year 2015–16;11 per cent in 2016–17; and minus 1 per cent in 2017–18 (http://dipp.nic.in/publications/fdi-statistics/archives; http://dipp.nic.in/publications/fdi-statistics); private investment, on the other hand, has not kept pace. As per the Economic Survey of India for 2016–17: ‘Private investment, which had been soaring at the height of the boom, slowed sharply to a 5 per cent growth rate by 2010–11. By 2015–16, it had actually started to shrink, and in 2016–17 so far it seems to have contracted by more than 7 per cent’ (http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2016-17/echapter.pdf)
9. Special Correspondent, ‘India must Integrate with Global Value Chain: ADB’, The Hindu, 28 November 2017, http://www.thehindu.com/business/india-must-integrate-with-global-value-chain-adb/article21040771.ece.
10. Press Trust of India, ‘Ports Are Gateway to Prosperity: Narendra Modi’, Economic Times, 22 October 2017, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ports-are-gateway-to-prosperity-narendra-modi/articleshow/61172647.cms.
11. ‘Projects under Sagarmala’, Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, 31 March 2018, http://sagarmala.gov.in/projects/projects-under-sagarmala.
12. ‘World Trade Statistical Review 2017’, World Trade Organization, https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2017_e/WTO_Chapter_01_e.pdf.
13. Ajay Srivastava, ‘Why Global Value Chains Matter to India’, The Hindu Businessline, 5 October 2017, https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/why-global-value-chains-matter-to-india/article9889221.ece.
14. Uri Friedman, ‘70% of India Has Yet to Be Built’, Atlantic, 29 June 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/06/70-percent-of-india-has-yet-to-be-built/373656/.
15. Liu Hongyu, Yun W. Park and Zheng Siqi, ‘The Interaction between Housing Investment and Economic Growth in China’, International Real Estate Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 40–60, 2002, http://www.umac.mo/fba/irer/papers/past/vol5_pdf/040_060PRC.pdf.
16. ‘Report for Selected Countries and Subjects’, International Monetary Fund, April 2018, http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=48&pr.y=6&sy=2017&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=534&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=.
17. ‘India Economic Survey: External Sector’, Ministry of Finance, 29 January 2018, http://mofapp.nic.in:8080/economicsurvey/pdf/080-098_Chapter_06_Economic_Survey_2017-18.pdf.
18. ‘Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)’, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, http://asean.org/?static_post=rcep-regional-comprehensive-economic-partnership.
19. Press Trust of India, ‘India Needs to Gear up to Face Challenges of Mega Trade Pacts’, Economic Times, 1 April 2015, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-needs-to-gear-up-to-face-challenges-of-mega-trade-pacts/articleshow/46775647.cms.
20. ‘Foreign Trade Policy (1 April 2015–31 March 2020]’, Government of India Ministry of Commerce and Industry Department of Commerce, 30 June 2015, http://dgft.gov.in/sites/default/files/Updated_FTP_2015-2020.pdf.
21. ‘Citizen Charter’, Government of India Ministry of Commerce and Industry Department Of Commerce, 2 September 2018, https://dgft.gov.in/sites/default/files/dgft.gov_.in_exim_2000_citichar.pdf.
22. ‘Foreign Trade Policy Statement 2017—Mid Term Review’, Ministry of Commerce, December 2017, https://worldtradescanner.com/FTP-Statement-051217.pdf.
23. Edward Helmore, ‘Trudeau Calls Trump’s Tariffs “Insulting” to Longstanding US-Canada Alliance’, Guardian, 3 June 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/03/justin-trudeau-donald-trump-tariffs-insulting-us-canada-alliance.
24. Subhayan Chakraborty, ‘India’s Retaliatory Tariffs on 30 US Items to Rake in Additional $240 mn’, Business Standard, 18 June 2018, https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-s-retaliatory-tariffs-on-30-us-items-to-rake-in-additional-240-mn-118061700511_1.html.
Acknowledgements
During a nearly four decade long career in the Indian Foreign Service, I had a ringside view of what goes on in the world of decision-making at the highest levels. Ever so often, one also got a peek into the minds of those responsible for taking important decisions, ostensibly in ‘national interest’. Fairly early in a long career, I started noticing behavioural traits, often among my own colleagues, that could only be described as delusional. These were perfectly normal individuals, willing to risk taking decisions that they knew could only have negative, adverse and even disastrous consequences.
I felt I owed it to myself to study this phenomenon in detail and, if possible, write a book on this subject. I saw first-hand how delusional politics and decision-making go hand-in-hand and are perhaps the biggest bane in our professional lives.
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to many of my professional colleagues with whom I enjoyed long conversations, both in the world of diplomacy and outside. There are too many to permit individual mention. And yet, in respect of some, a mere acknowledgment in a passing reference will not suffice.
I first met Mohan Kumar, now Dr Mohan Kumar, chairman of RIS, when he was posted to the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva as a third secretary language trainee. Since we were a small delegation, I requested him to read out India’s statement at a meeting of the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, which I was chairing. He has not looked back since that day, acquiring exceptional domain knowledge on trade policy. He went on to serve as India’s ambassador to France, and also acquired a PhD from Sciences Po, Paris. Dr Kumar is now one of India’s finest minds on international trade. The chapter ‘Politics of Trade Policy’ in this book is based on extensive discussions with him for which I place my gratitude on record. We agree on most issues concerning India and the multilateral trading system, though I suspect Dr Kumar would want to frame his recommendations in more cautious terms.
A book covering such a vast array of subjects would not have been possible without a little bit of help. I must, therefore, start by acknowledging the support of Ariun Enkhsaikhan, my former colleague at the International Peace Institute (IPI). She was my proverbial ‘brother in arms’ from the beginning of the process. She has the energy, dedication and academic rigour that every author wishes in a research assistant. Thank you, Ariun.
Having been inducted into the council of ministers in September 2017, I realized early on that the rigours of the job would involve severe time constraints. I decided to poach Shubh Soni from a Delhi-based think tank to join my staff. Shubh is brilliant. He not only helped fill the gaps but also assisted in putting the final touches to this book. His ability to put my thoughts in words in a relatively short time frame is greatly appreciated.
I also owe a big thanks to Premanka Goswami and his team at Penguin Random House for being patient with me. As I mentioned in the author’s note, the book was scheduled for October 2017, but was pushed back by a year due to my induction into the council of ministers.
This book would not have been possible without the continuing inspiration and support of Lakshmi, my partner and soulmate of forty-four years. She went through the manuscript on multiple occasions, often finding gaps that my research team and I had missed. She is a wordsmith par-excellence, and this book has greatly benefited from her inputs.
While I was writing my first book, Perilous Interventions, my lovely daughters, Himayani and Tilottama, were fully engaged in the process. They read my manuscript and provided detailed feedback. The second time around, they were so busy with their own professional preoccupations that they left me to my own devices. Both of them, and my son-in-law, Hari, have, however, been a great source of inspiration and encouragement.
My eternal gratitude to all those who were part of this journey. Responsibility for the views expresse
d and for errors, that still remain, is entirely mine.
THE BEGINNING
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This collection published 2019
Copyright © Hardeep Singh Puri 2019
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ISBN: 978-0-670-09025-9
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