Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has issued another warning that his government would not allow New Delhi to station its personnel, even civilian employees, beyond May 10. Showing that he is not willing to compromise on his ‘India Out’ promise to his voters. Of course, China’s invisible hand seems to be the guiding force behind Muizzu’s adamant demand. This puts India and its interests in Maldives in a tricky situation, which may have some parallel with the situation that the US found itself in after the Cuban revolution.
The success of Cuban Marxist revolutionaries on 1 January 1959, in toppling the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista turned out to be a watershed in the United States, Cuba and Soviet relations. Riding on popular anti-government and anti-American sentiments, the years of armed struggle of the revolutionary Marxists eventually culminated in the rise of Fidel Castro as the new ruler of Cuba. The ideological proximity and generous support from the Soviets ensured that Washington could never be at ease with a socialist government in its neighbourhood. Presidents and interventions went by but the policymakers in Washington could not navigate the fear of Soviets gaining a foothold near American shores. The nuclearization of Cuba, with Soviet missiles, nearly brought the world to the brink of an all-out nuclear war. This shows the dangers of two nuclear powers competing for influence over a small island country in the vicinity. At present India finds itself facing a similar conundrum with Maldives. Thankfully, in Maldives case currently there are no talks of stationing or offering weapon systems from China, and the similarity with the US-Cuba situation ends there. READ MORE FROM COUNTER CURRENTS
No comments:
Post a Comment