Michael Hughes: New Delhi’s policy towards Kabul since the Taliban takeover would probably impress the likes of one of the most famous realist practitioners in modern history – Henry Kissinger, who passed away at the age of 100 this week. Hindu nationalist India’s nuanced approach to the radical Sunni regime is in one sense somewhat impressive – exhibiting a level of tolerance, however superficial and expedient, while advancing India’s geostrategic objectives.
However, if the Modi government practices the art of realism in too naked a fashion, it risks alienating some key stakeholders and wasting the political capital it has long sought, especially vis-à-vis its rivalry with Islamabad.