S Jaishankar reappointed as External Affairs Minister in Modi 3.0 Cabinet
https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/s-jaishankar-foreign-ministry-modi-30-cabinet-modi-30-modi-cabinet-narendra-modi-pm-modi-nda-government-nda-modi-third-term-diplomat-jaishankar-external-affairs-ministry-432784-2024-06-10
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Submission Statement:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained S Jaishankar, who has played a key role in shaping the Modi government’s foreign policy over the past ten years, as the External Affairs Minister for a second time.
A 1977-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Jaishankar was one of five ex-bureaucrats inducted into the Modi 2.0 cabinet after a long stint at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). His experience with key foreign nations such as the United States and China, both of which he had been envoy to, helped his case.
Jaishankar played a crucial role in managing the Doklam standoff between India and China in 2017 helping to de-escalate tensions between the two countries and prevent a potential military conflict in the disputed border area.
I remember Jaishankar at the end of 2023 lavishly publicized his trip to Moscow & the deepening of India-Russia relationship in an obvious response to increasing US & Canadian pressure over the Sikh assassination investigations. Few other diplomats would have been so blatant in bouncing between both sides especially when the threat of China is so pertinent.
Basically Jaishankar is bold & very well may be bold to a fault. Modi’s weaker showing clearly was a result of domestic policy & India’s multialigned foreign policy seems unchanged. India seems focused on countering China by cautiously aligning with the US to do so, deepening relations with an EU ready for new partners, & also deepening relations with a Russia revved up from war & looking towards the East.
We will see how it turns out.