A Reality Check

Shri Shashi Tharoor, the much-hyped Indian candidate for election to the postof UN Secretary-General, withdrew from the contest after the final straw pollheld by the UN Security Council on October 2, 2006. It became clear at this pollthat he did not stand a chance of winning because of a veto against hiscandidature exercised by an unidentified permanent member. It was initiallyspeculated that China must have exercised this veto, but it has since beenreported by well-informed journalists that the veto was actually exercised bythe US.

In response to mail received by me from my readers asking for my comments, Isent the following comments. I have nothing more to add.

"On September 29, an Indian TV channel had a 30-minute discussion on thechances of Shashi Tharoor. Three New Delhi-based experts participated. They werepraising Tharoor. The channel had a live interview with  the CNN'scorrespondent in the UN, who spoke from New York. The CNN correspondent said that the US was not enthusiastic about Tharoor, who was perceived by theState Department as Kofi Annan's man.

According to the correspondent, the US has been unhappy about the secondtenure of Annan and Tharoor's perceived  closeness to Annan would cost himthe US support. He also mentioned that those who had an opportunity of seeingTharoor and John Bolton, the US Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, together would have noticed from the body language of Bolton that he did notfeel comfortable with Tharoor. Though the correspondent  did not put it sodirectly, it was apparent he was hinting that the US would veto Tharoor."

Surprisingly, no body in New Delhi seemed to have been aware of this. Therise and fall of Shashi Tharoor is an indication of the way  our foreignpolicy in general and the US policy in particular is based on wishful thinking.In this connection, please see my article of July 17, 2005, TheWishful Thinking Club.

B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India,New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai.