During the G20 meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many of the leaders, including those of the North such as Justin Trudeau visited a memorial to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi. He was a man of practical ideals on peace and non-violence who no doubt, Mr. Modi hoped all present would be inspired by. On or near the anniversary of one of the greatest moral leaders ever this Earth has seen, it is rightful to see how the world, especially the wealthy and militarily powerful North engaged in war stacks up these days on following Gandhian principles. And where the current pro-Mahatma Gandhi, government of Narendra Modi of high respect to India’s founding father can continue to lead the world out of being in critical condition.
Firstly, truth and non-violence are main pillars of India’s great moral thinker. (articles.manupatra.com and divers)
It is, however, argued that truth is pursued with violence at times, unfortunately. And that the excess pursuit of non-violence can be tantamount at times to cowardice. But strong efforts to pursue both truth and peace are better and not to do enough on this is reckless, if not criminal.
The Ukraine war may be exhibit number one on such thoughts. To preface this, Gandhi had an understanding that in any violent conflict that there is not necessarily an equality of moral balance so-to-speak. I would add during such conflicts that moral balance can shift to degrees or overall.
So the fact is that Russian speaking minorities in parts of southern and eastern Ukraine were discriminated against badly for years. But the moral balance more than titled towards Russia and the Russian minorities when the US underwrote a government coup bringing in an anti-Russian government into power in 2014, the so-called, Maidan Revolution.
Again, US “liberal interventionism” lays the foundation for more polarization. Especially, this was evident since neo-Nazi elements in alliance with the incoming government projected violence and war onto the Russian minorities. Gandhi was a strong advocate against imperialism of which America clearly has shown some very questionable neo-imperialism tendencies. Now for Russia.
Not to have done anything to counter this violence, would have given a free pass to let the perpetrators of violence against both Russian speaking minorities and strategic interests and would have seemed of cowardice and excess pacifism.This is where Gandhi shows an understanding of when a “victim” or its supporters take aggressive countermeasures.
This includes a series of Russian involvement by weapon provisions and other ways to defend Russian minorities against aggressive shelling and bombardments. However, the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 is where the moral balance begins to shift away from Moscow. It invaded a sovereign country, an extreme in light of Article 5 of the United Nations charter. While it was done with a minimum of violence, towards good by Gandhian thought, it was a forceful stripping away of the sovereignty of a country, a kind of imperialism Gandhi was sensitive to with his fights with the imperial British empire.
Also, it would not have been seen as cowardice by the world and likely by Gandhi if Russia had not swallowed up Crimea, at least at that stage and made earlier stronger efforts to push peace?
However, nevertheless Kiev, the West and Russia pushed an honorable peace it seemed by pursuit and signing of the Minsk accords which represented a non-violent way to settle the protection of the Russian minorities (Though leaving the Crimea issue aside). This was consistent with Gandhian pursuit of truth enough for both sides without going to violence. So far so good.
However, the western and Ukraine signatories admitted later they had no intention of implementing what they had signed. This is the untruth of deception and chicanery, too often the fuel for confrontation, even if the West thought there was a strategic reason to do so. Such is Machiavellian thought that Gandhi appears to be largely against in human to national dealings. As if truth is the ideal pursuit where possible, the West certainly by its behavior of breaking the Minsk accords showed not only untruth but provoking its counterpart to see that it had no choice but to pursue a hostile reaction to avoid the image of cowardice that Gandhi did not advocate.
What now is the moral balance is hard to see given so much brutal killings and destruction by both sides. Though it is Russia that seems to have caused a disproportionate amount of destruction. That is the conundrum for the Global South, including India over Ukraine that it cannot see to blame one side over the over which would appear consistent to a Gandhian perspective but rather to push for a fair peace. All at the same time Moscow and Washington send out narratives, all one-sided, too full of untruth propaganda, while they commit to mass violence.that Gandhi would far from condone, however that moral balance was “truthfully” framed between the West and Russia over Ukraine.
Gandhi also realized peace starts in the mind and “souls” of individuals as well. I am afraid a macho aggressiveness is too strong in the Anglo-Saxon, largely Eurocentric and even Russian souls? All of which do not appreciate anywhere enough Eastern.mysticism and holistic being against violence.
It is violence too wrapped up in aggression legitimized too often by superpowers as a solution with hegemonic and non-inclusive tendencies. This s not only regarding too much support for US backed coups and liberal interventionism bombings. But also it is in the poisoning and assassinations of Putin’s “serious” opponents and complete military destruction of Chechnya’s capital, Grozny. And then add the Kremlin talking up the use of nuclear weapons.
So what can India do? Yes, of course important leadership by Prime Minister Modi and his foreign relations team headed by brilliant minister, S. Jaishankar can help. By demonstration, it can steer the North, the West and Russia in particular as well as China to some of the more common truths of finding internal peace. That World Yoga Day celebrated at the United Nations by Prime Minister Modi and many Indians should remind them and everyone of the usefulness of meditation and stress release and much more. More emphasis that encourages peace and harmony in individual lives makes not only for physical and mental health overall, but geopolitical health too?
Finally, as stated before in another article in this paper, India should set up institutes around the world promoting more holistic solutions of Gandhian and other like-minded thought in the countries of the North. They should also support anti-terrorism, anti-gangsterism and Indian thought seeing the environment as Mother Earth and other sacred places and ideas not to be defiled. Terrorism and supporting it is absolutely counter to Gandhi thought. I suggest to start in Trudeau’s Ottawa.
Something, indeed has to change in the mentality and spirit of the North. India along with the top global leadership of the Modi government can be instrumental to better move the world to an era of peace and is doing so. Indians can be truly proud of this for blessed are the peacemakers. And blessed are the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi as India celebrates the anniversary of not only a great leader but associated thought. Thought and balanced spiritual awareness that can make both individuals and the world much better.
Peter Dash writes extensively on geopolitics and is a teacher.
