This title is reminiscent of the Harrison Ford movie, but is very applicable to how my country (India) goes about its foreign policy. As a rather naive spectator to the global policy game, here are some conclusions that I have based my current statement on. Being rather country-locked, and especially nations that are in a constant state of political flux. We are in a tremendous disadvantage, unable to appease them or take control of them. Our “friendly” neighbors are currently in the cashing in phase, due to the games between China and us. We have been unable to use our cultural proximity as an advantage, rather we are playing the finance and buy-out stratagem which on its own we have already lost. Our utter neglect of the North east, (or the east as a whole) is paying rich dividends to the Chinese. As a country of smart people, we are really slow at learning things which Mao embedded into the communist psyche a long time back rather publicly. They will eventually take what they believe is rightly theirs, even if it means war. UN and common currency - Its a farce, with Nehru helping the Chinese to get the security council and they consistently refusing us entry into that club(with our huge standing army). It is a rather on the face statement about what they think of us at this point of time. The common currency move is good, but with the move from uni-polar to a multi-polar configuration it will be interesting to see how it plays out. US in my opinion is on the back foot - Consistent rise of nationalists in Japan, the economic crisis, the dollar, Iraq, Afganistan, and so on … Yes, their bulk has kept them alive, they are pros at keeping themselves in the game. It would be interesting to see what is the next move they make. Fingers crossed. So there is the need of a bigger war, one where the significant people advantage of the asians gets reduced. (from the developed nation perspective). Pakistan seems to be the point from where all it will possibly emanate.
Enough of brain dumping, back to work.