The Maoist threat…to India
When we sat down to compile the Top 10 Stories You Missed in 2005, we made a point of including India's Maoist insurgency: Consistently outwitting and overwhelming Indian police forces, Indian Maoists, also known as Naxalites, have taken control of large chunks of territory in several eastern and southern Indian states, such as Orissa and ...
When we sat down to compile the Top 10 Stories You Missed in 2005, we made a point of including India's Maoist insurgency:
When we sat down to compile the Top 10 Stories You Missed in 2005, we made a point of including India's Maoist insurgency:
Consistently outwitting and overwhelming Indian police forces, Indian Maoists, also known as Naxalites, have taken control of large chunks of territory in several eastern and southern Indian states, such as Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
Many Indian analysts have long been distressed by the central government's indifference to the problem, leaving it to the ill-armed and corrupt state police forces. But New Delhi, now led by Manmohan Singh's government can no longer ignore the insurgency that is growing in strength. Combined with Kashmir and sporadic sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims, the internal security problem is really serious. The NYT revisited the issue last week (Times Select).
So did Prime Minister Singh. In a remarkable speech last week, Singh said, "the challenge of internal security is our biggest national security challenge today." Still, the policy path forward has been uneven:
Unfortunately, the response to this crisis has been typically confused. One state government after the other has made the mistake of blowing hot and cold, going soft in the hope of co-opting the extremists, and then trying to get tough again when the first ploy fails. Indeed, mainstream political parties have even sought to use the Naxalites’ help at election time, while private caste armies have taken on the job of the state in some cases. There are even reports that commercial banks are being forced to shut down in some of the affected districts, with private money-lending activity taking their place. These are all dangerous portents.
Some want blood, but most people recognize that this is a case where root causes of poverty and exploitation actually play a big role. The IHT analysis strikes me as spot on. It is a tremendous problem that by no means dooms India. But it's worth watching closely:
It would be gross exaggeration to suggest that the revival of Naxalism poses a threat to India as a whole. Nepal is not its future. Nor should it cause investors to doubt India's performance and potential. But it is a reminder of just how diverse the nation is, and just how much effort needs to go into reducing inequalities while allowing state identities and cultural differences to flourish.
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