Constraint to long-term strategy: Understaffing in the Indian Foreign Service
By Padmini Gopal* India’s GDP of US$1.8 trillion [1] and an expected growth rate of 6.4per cent in the year 2015 [2] is a testament to India’s present status as a rising world power. Moreover, India’s present nuclear competence and clout, with almost 90-110 nuclear warheads [3] , makes India’s current status unequivocal. Despite that, India seems to be plagued with ‘interstate rivalries that resemble 19 th century Europe’ [4] along with a myriad of challenges that beset the 21 st century, such as terrorism, cyber security, climate change and maritime piracy. These challenges are only amplified by the uncertainty omnipresent in the international arena, with Pakistan reluctant to assure India of security from future terrorist strikes, China unwilling to let go of its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, and a Sinhalese led Sri Lanka refusing to give legitimacy to the wishes of the Tamils. So is India capable of living up to its title given the uncertain international arena it...