One of the most significant geopolitical events of the decade has gone almost un-noticed in the west: at September’s meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, India joined the US and the EU in backing a resolution condemning Iran’s nuclear programme.
In deciding to vote with the west—rather than abstaining with Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa—India signalled its willingness to join the top table of international diplomacy and to abandon its automatic solidarity with the developing world.
Western diplomats, who expect Delhi to repeat the move at the IAEA’s next meeting in November, are delighted. A French diplomat said that India has traditionally adopted the foreign policy of a porcupine: it is prickly and hides in a cave, especially when Pakistan is mentioned. The west’s policy, he claims, has been to coax India out of its cave. At the IAEA’s board meeting, Delhi bid farewell to its troglodyte existence with a dramatic flourish.
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