DIPLOMATS GLOBALLY ARE a D special tribe in the larger constituency of civil servants. They represent their respective countries with foreign interlocutors in the continuous power game among nations that is the systole and diastole of international relations. Some among them are chosen to be at the centre of power in their parent state (usually the president or prime minister's office in democracies) and a very small percentage of this select lot get to represent their nation at the very apex of the global power game the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Chinmaya R Gharekhan, author of the book under review, is counted among India's most accomplished and low-profile mandarins who served in the office of two prime ministers - Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi. He later moved to New York in August 1986 as India's permanent representative (PR) to the UN. During this assignment at the UN, Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, thereby precipitating the first US-led Gulf war in January 1991- an action-packed period that also marked the end of the Cold War. Ambassador Gharekhan witnessed this tectonic geostrategic flux from the vantage point of the deliberations within the UN Security Council when India became a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 1991-92.
Centres of Power is a very interesting two-in-one book, the first part being a lucid account by ambassador Gharekhan of his years in the PMO (prime minister's office) in Delhi; and the second part dwells on the 1991 war for Kuwait and the manner in which Iraq was punished by the USA for its feckless invasion.
Denne historien er fra June 11, 2023-utgaven av Financial Express Mumbai.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 11, 2023-utgaven av Financial Express Mumbai.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Murdoch ally helps Ambani build media empire in India
SOHEE KIM PR SANJAI
Pandya, Dube & Rinku: Can they finish for India at T20 World Cup?
GOING INTO THE 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia Dinesh Karthik was assigned the finisher role and the batting lineup was built accordingly.
Nestle adds sugar to infant milk and cereal, finds report
A NEW REPORT has revealed that Nestle, the world's largest consumer goods and manufacturer of baby formula, is adding sugar to infant milk and cereal products sold in India, and other Asian, and African countries.
India-made Daimler's electric mini truck to hit the road soon
INDIA WILL BE host to German trucking giant Daimler's only electric vehicle plant outside of Europe and Japan when it launches a locally-made electric light cargo truck in FY25.
Samsung eyes ₹10,000 cr from India TV biz this year
SOUTH KOREAN GIANT Samsung is targeting a turnover of ₹10,000 crores for its television business in India this year, driven by growth in sales of its mid to-premium segment models, said Mohandeep Singh, senior VP, consumer electronics business in India.
Microsoft AI Copilot speed boost for coding
WHEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Nikolai Avteniev got his hands on a preview version of Microsoft's Copilot coding assistant in 2021, he quickly saw the potential.
US, China debt pose risks for global public finances: IMF
THE WORLD's TWO great economic rivals, China and the US, will drive much of the increase in global public debt over the next five years, with US spending creating trouble for many other countries by keeping interest rates high, officials at the International Monetary Fund said in a report.
Language models in consumer tech
This move is designed to ensure better user experience & privacy
'Data centres' energy use doubles every four years'
Data centres are significant energy consumers, using about 2% of the world's power and emitting carbon dioxide equivalent to the airline industry.
Vi FPO: Foreign players invest big; about ₹5,400 crore raised
GQG, Fidelity buy almost 40% of the anchor investor portion
