Manmohan: failed states are a worry

Sounding a note of caution against the emergence of failed states, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said strategic security experts must keep an eye on disaffection, alienation and conflict not only in India but also across its neighbourhood so as to "be alert to these developments and plan accordingly to deal with the dangers that lie ahead."
Delivering the 40th Foundation Day lecture of the government-funded Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) here, the Prime Minister explained that regional disturbances in neighbouring countries could affect India by generating an inflow of refugees and destabilising the border areas. "The danger of a number of failed states emerging in our neighbourhood has far-reaching consequences for our security and for the well-being of our people,'' he said hours before leaving for the SAARC summit in Dhaka.
Apart from regional disturbances, the Prime Minister outlined the breakdown of effective international mechanisms as another external challenge to internal security. This was being witnessed in the international regime against proliferation, which he described as being under "stress.'' The unequal and discriminatory rules have permitted unchecked proliferation by some while preventing countries such as India from acting in its economic and security interests. Another manifestation of non-uniform global norms was the manner in which the world had tackled terrorism earlier. As long as terrorism was seen as a phenomenon that was "elsewhere," the international community was unwilling to adopt an effective coordinated strategy.
Just as there were multifarious challenges to internal security not restricted to a sense of alienation being exploited by anti-India forces, options to address challenges to security are not limited to application for force. Policy analysts must adopt inter-disciplinary approaches and develop multi-pronged responses since non-military measures play a major role in evolving durable solutions.
The Prime Minister and, before him, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the IDSA president, devoted a considerable part of their addresses to the IDSA's contribution to strategic planning.
Complimenting it for strategic studies and institution building in an area of vital national concern, Dr. Singh asked think tanks to enable a shift from reactive to proactive policy making — a situation where an analysis of potential causes of conflict leads to timely action to deal with them without taking recourse to arms. The Hindu