- Although this article is not about Nepal, it is about India's realpolitik on another neighbor, Burma (Myanmar) and hence reflects India's realpolitik in the region.

courtesy: www.burmanet.org, enjoy!

June 3, Hindustan Times
Burma comes out of its shell - Sridhar Kumaraswami

'I wish to reassure my Myanmar friends that while India is proud to be a
democracy, we are not in the business of exporting it.' These words of the
Indian ambassador to Myanmar, R.K. Bhatia, to a group of visiting Indian
and Myanmar journalists sum up India's foreign policy with regard to that
country. It's no wonder then that relations between the two countries have
improved considerably in the past five years. Myanmar now backs India's
bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Ties between the two nations had soured in the Nineties over the detention
of National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Given that
the Burmese Tatmadaw (army) is comfortably ensconced in power with no real
threat to it, India has chosen to adopt a more pragmatic approach while
dealing with its north-eastern neighbour. Contrast this with India-Nepal
ties where India has chosen to insist on Kathmandu's immediate return to
democracy after the recent palace coup.

India has chosen, instead, to focus on several other factors in its ties
with Yangon. Myanmar is one of two neighbours that isn't part of the South
Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc). It is instead part of
the vibrant Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) that includes
some of Asia's rapidly growing tiger economies. India, currently a
dialogue partner with Asean, hopes to further economic ties with Asean
nations, including mineral-rich Myanmar.

Myanmar is also in the process of opening itself to the world. After the
social upheaval of 1988 - following 26 years of failed socialism under
General Ne Win - the Tatmadaw rulers adopted free-market policies aimed at
strengthening the economy. Joining Asean in 1997 was another step in this
direction.

Cultural and historical ties, too, have assumed a major role. "Senior
General Than Shwe [Myanmar's head of State] himself has pointed out on
numerous occasions that India is the land of the Buddha and that Buddhism
reached Myanmar from India," points out Bhatia. As far as official figures
go, Myanmar's population is nearly 90 per cent Buddhist and Buddhism is an
important part of national life. The majesty of Yangon's magnificent
Shwedagon Pagoda attests to this.

There are also historical ties that are more recent. A proud kingdom,
Myanmar was annexed by the British in three stages in the 19th century and
made part of India. The two neighbours secured independence within a year
of each other.

Over the years, India has realised the immense benefits of a cordial
relationship with Yangon. Even geo-politically, Myanmar is no pushover. In
Bhatia's words, "It's one-fourth the size of India with just one-twentieth
its population". Both countries are also battling insurgencies. Myanmar is
combating an insurgency in its Shan state. A bomb explosion in Yangon in
May this year killed several people, shaking the peace and tranquillity of
the city. Myanmar also borders several of India's volatile
insurgency-ridden north-eastern states. When it comes to democracy, the
Myanmar government has expressed the desire to usher in a
'discipline-flourishing' democratic system in future. Yangon's position is
that this will happen after a 'national convention' finalises a new
constitution.

India's understanding of the situation in Myanmar is also based on ground
realities. The New Light of Myanmar, a State-owned English newspaper, in
an article on March 29 this year, made it clear that "the Tatmadaw [army]
will always stand as a national political force to serve and protect the
national interest". It added that the "Tatmadaw will also shoulder its
future national responsibilities above and beyond the call of duty".

The military government in Myanmar has also taken the position that it is
"impossible for the nation to copy western democracy directly". The 1990
elections that resulted in an overwhelming victory for Aung San Suu Kyi's
NLD has been dismissed by the government "as an election merely for the
framing of the State constitution for which the nation was desperate". The
NLD recently observed the 15th anniversary of the ill-fated 1990 elections
and it's clear that the party stands no chance of coming to power in
Yangon.

"Relations between the two countries are good, now that India has ceased
to put any pressure on the democracy issue," confided a Myanmar official.
It's realpolitik practised by New Delhi in the true sense of the word.