India's strategic move: Observing Trump's 'Board of Peace' for Gaza reconstruction & IMEC interests

Lyndon Johnson, a man who had a way with words, memorably said, 'Better to have your enemies inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.' It works both ways. India's decision to attend the inaugural meeting of the latest Trump club, 'Board of Peace', as an observer country is a smart move.

BoP is something of a vanity project for a man whose 'umility is of Uriah Heep proportions - Trump is its life-time chair. Not only does India's presence not put it in the holdouts column, but it also gives it a chance to read the room with some characters it usually doesn't have the opportunity - or inclination - to be in with.

For now, BoP is ostensibly 'focused' on the reconstruction of Gaza. India has an interest in the region - especially India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). So, it can take notes. As a low middle-income country with considerable developmental deficits but high aspirations and much going for it, India's path to a bigger global role, commensurate with its population size and growing economy, will require adopting non-traditional options.


That means participating in smaller plurilateral arrangements, coalitions and regional groups as members or observers. It pays for New Delhi to keep friends close, and not-so-dear friends within one's Venn diagram. Joining some groups and not joining others is an expression of its strategic autonomy that seems to be coalescing well.

What New Delhi needs is a game plan of the role it seeks to play on the global stage, particularly as a bridge between the developed and developing world. 'Visions' won't help. Strategic manoeuvrability will determine India's engagement, as more plurilateral coalitions - clubs, if you will - emerge in a new 'two-party' global system.