The Top Diplomats Also Discuss The State Of Democracy In The World
July 31, 2021—Afghanistan’s future and the withdrawal of U.S. troops were at the fore of discussions between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi this week.
During a brief press conference on Wednesday, the two called for a peaceful solution to governance problems in Afghanistan. This came even as the Taliban continued to make military advances since the U.S. withdrawal. Ultimately, however, the Afghan people must work out the solutions that work best for them, they said. The country is under increasing stress as the Taliban takes control of territory and wreaks havoc.
Both countries have interests in Afghanistan. It is a near neighbor of India. The United States recently ended a 20-year war and military occupation of the country.
The two foreign ministers also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, democracy, China and the Indo-Pacific during their talks this week.
Afghanistan
Although American ground forces left that country, the United States is not completely divorced militarily. U.S. forces continue to support the Afghan military with airstrikes against Taliban forces.
“Even as we withdraw our forces from Afghanistan and NATO and others withdraw their forces, we remain very much engaged in Afghanistan,” said Blinken, who noted the strength of the U.S. embassy in Kabul and other aid programs, as well as support for the Afghan armed forces.
The Taliban’s Promises
Later, Blinken added that the Taliban must live up to its word if it wants recognition.
“The Taliban says that it seeks international recognition, that it wants international support for Afghanistan,” he said. “Presumably it wants its leaders to be able to travel freely in the world, sanctions lifted, et cetera. Well, the – taking over the country by force and abusing the rights of its people is not the path to achieve those objectives.”
“We think the peace negotiations should be a negotiation and should lead to peace,” said Jaishankar. “It should see a cessation of violence. There should be a political settlement. So that is where we are looking at, and I think there is a broad consensus, deep consensus – most of the neighbors of Afghanistan agree with that.”
The Quad
Since 2007, the two countries participate in a strategic dialogue along with Japan and Australia. Formally, the arrangement is called the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or The Quad. According to U.S. President Joe Biden, the Quad is “a vital arena for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.” China and Pakistan view it as a competitive arrangement that leaves them out. Those countries are building upon their economic partnership.
Addressing the Quad, Jaishankar said, “we are engaged on maritime security, HADR, counterterrorism, connectivity on infrastructure, cyber and digital concerns, COVID-19 response, climate action, education, and resilient and reliable supply chains.”
Democracy and Human Rights
The diplomats also discussed the state of democracy against a backdrop of electoral and voting issues in both nations. In the United States, the last president and many Republicans in Congress still have not accepted his defeat last November. In India, many critics call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a Hindu nationalist who has used his position to advance his faith above all others there. Indian Muslims face discrimination and violence.
Jaishankar answered questions about India’s commitment to democracy in parts.
“One, that the quest for a more perfect union applies as much to the Indian democracy as it does to the American one – indeed, to all democracies,” he said. “Number two, that it is the moral obligation of all – of all polities to (inaudible) right wrongs when they have been done, including historically. And many of the decisions and policies you’ve seen in the last few years fall in that category.”
A ‘Work In Progress’
Blinken did not address whether India is backsliding on human rights, as he was asked, but spoke more broadly to the question of India’s democracy.
“Like our own, India’s democracy is powered by its free-thinking citizens,” he said. “We also recognize that every democracy, starting with our own, is a work in progress. And when we discuss these issues, I certainly do it from a starting point of humility. We’ve seen the challenges that our own democracy has faced in the past and faces today.
“That, by definition, means that we’re not perfect and that our entire quest is to get closer and closer to the ideals that we set for ourselves. And that’s how societies make progress. And sometimes we – we’re at moments when the challenge is painful. It can even be ugly. But as democracies, we deal with it openly.”
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