1. There's understandable anger in India over the US Seventh Fleet sailing near Lakshadweep in waters that are part of our exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, there is nothing in UNCLOS (the Law of the Sea) that supports India’s stand on freedom of navigation through the EEZ.
2. So the Americans are essentially doing near Lakshadweep exactly what they are insisting on doing in & through the South China Sea under the same Freedom of Navigation principle (FoNoPs). The US can be accused of not respecting our sensibilities but not of breaking int'nl law.
3. Some ask why the US has done to India what it hasn't done to Canada/UK/Australia etc by exercising FoNoPs through their EEZs. Since those are treaty allies, they have consultation agreements already in place with the US. India not, & is unlikely to ever be, an ally.
4. So the best we can hope for is an explicit undertaking to (1) inform India in advance as a courtesy and (2) not to publicize the fact that they have thumbed their noses at us. Our diplomacy should have negotiated this; nothing better would have been possible.
5. USA hasn't signed UNCLOS, but since FoNoPs is not in UNCLOS, the legal position is irrelevant. We need a pragmatic political approach rather than outrage about a legal breach that hasn't occurred. There has been discourtesy & disrespect, which must be addressed diplomatically.

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More from @ShashiTharoor

25 Jan
ये गणतंत्र दिवस बहुत ही खास बनने वाला है
दिल्ली की सड़कों पर, इतिहास बनने वाला है
आज होगा असली #JaiJawanJaiKisan ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
15 Nov 20
1. I have got hold of an advance copy of @BarackObama's #APromisedLand & though i haven't read every page, I did read every bit on India flagged in the Index. Big news: There isn't much. Bigger news: in 902 pages, @narendramodi is not mentioned by name at all.
2. Huge praise for Dr ManMohan Singh who is warmly described as "wise, thoughtful, &scrupulously honest", "a man of uncommon wisdom& decency" with whom he enjoyed "a warm & productive relationship" though MMS was "cautious in foreign policy". His regard & respect shine through.
3. "More than anything, though, my fascination with India had to do with Mahatma Gandhi. Along with Lincoln, King, &Mandela, Gandhi had profoundly influenced my thinking."
But he worries about "impulses of violence, greed, corruption, nationalism, racism,& religious intolerance".
Read 5 tweets
18 Oct 20
Should such reputable companies be financing hate through ads on RepulsiveTV?: Raymonds, MuthootGroup, Jio, MaxBupa, Kent, AirIndia, Star Health Insurance, Nissan, Dabur, Mahindra, Amazon, Samsung, Sony, Maruti, Nerolac, Toyota. Can they find the moral courage to be like Parle?
These are no better since they pay for news on TimesNow: Cadbury, Toyota, Hyundai, Nerolac, Birla Group, Amul, Skoda, Mercedes, Ceat, Samsung, Bluestar, HDFC, Sony, TCS. They "fund the toxicity, the hatred and bigotry, which our news channels spew 24x7": avayshukla.blogspot.com/2020/10/trps-c…
Shouldn't corporates have the "same moral & social duties as individuals, to condemn immoral ideology, to abjure hate &communalism, to not incite one community against another, to distinguish between the truth & falsehood?" asks AvayShukla: avayshukla.blogspot.com/2020/10/trps-c…
Read 5 tweets
5 Aug 20
ShriRam is not the property of BJP. He is the ideal man whose image is deeply etched in the hearts&minds of millions. Gandhiji always sang his hymns& died w/"Hei Ram" on his lips. He talked about a RamRajya where all would live in peace&prosperity. Can't let His name be hijacked!
The universal appeal of Ram & SanatanDharma cannot be commandeered by those who chant either hymns or slogans. He belongs to all humanity. For Hindutva, Ram is a God to be worshipped; for Gandhiji Ram represented ideal qualities that every person should practise &seek to emulate.
Let's be clear: @INCIndia was NEVER opposed to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but to the criminal demolition of the BabriMasjid. In 1989, Rajiv Gandhiji allowed VHP to do shilanyas on non-disputed land nearby as an alternate site:
online.wsj.com/public/resourc…
Read 8 tweets
30 Jul 20
There is much to welcome in what we have seen of the #NewEducationPolicy2020 announced by @DrRPNishank. A number of suggestions made by some of us seem to have been taken into account. However,the question remains why this was not brought before Parliament first for discussion.
I've advocated revision of the 1986 National Education Policy since my days in MHRD, to bring it into the 21st century. I am glad the Modi Govt has finally grasped the nettle, even if it took them six years to do so. Challenge is to ensure aspiration is matched by implementation.
For instance, the goal of 6% of GDP to be spent on education was first articulated in 1948! Every Govt articulates this target& then comes up against its own Finance Ministry. In the last 6 years, ModiGovt expenditure in education has declined in real terms. How will it reach 6%?
Read 10 tweets
22 Jul 20
1/3 Shocked to learn that Thiruvananthapuram MedicalCollege Police have registered a case against students for crowding at the entrance of StMary'sSchool, Pattom,on the day of #KEAM exam, alleging violation of #Covid19 protocols. They have demanded names& addresses. I'm outraged.
2/3 The student community &political leaders, including myself, had requested the Govt of Kerala to postpone this exam in the wake of the pandemic gripping the state. They unwisely went ahead,& several students who appeared for the exam have tested positive in the last 48 hours.
3/3 I condemn Govt's move to file police cases against those who were forced by Govt to appear for an avoidable exam, without allocating enough centres to prevent overcrowding. Govt is acting against the citizenry to cover up its own incompetence. I demand the cases be withdrawn.
Read 4 tweets

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