`Democracy helps win wars'

`Democracy helps win wars'
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 20: In the event of a war between a democracy and an authoritarian state democracy is always sure to win, Shekhar Gupta, editor-in-chief of The Indian Express, said today.

Delivering the 18th P.C. Lal Memorial Lecture today, he said that barring the example of US in Vietnam and India in 1962, democracies had always emerged on top. Visualising the battlefield of tomorrow, he said that institutions of democracy, like a free press, judiciary and human rights commissions will act as force multipliers.

``The world opinion will always be on the side of a democracy when it fights dictatorship,'' he said addressing a gathering of prominent Air Force personnel in the Capital. Explaining the 1962 debacle against China he said that the institutions of democracy were still at a nascent stage and had not developed completely.

On the US defeat in Vietnam, he said that a dictatorial regime would have found it difficult to cut its losses and pull back without doing more damage to itself and Vietnam. Recalling how there were pressures to even use nuclear weapons he said that the anti-war movement and exposures to My Lai created public opinion and a moral frame work for withdrawal.

It was because of the resilience of the democratic system that the US was able to absorb and internalise the trauma. The anti-war movement was never anti-military and in fact helped raise popular consciousness and sensitivity towards war veterans.

On the contrary Soviets lost the ideological war in Afghanistan but in the absence of any democratic institutions for shock absorption, the defeat hastened the fall of the Soviet empire, he said.

Gupta talked of changing pattern and cause of wars. ``All over the world historical, traditional, territorial, ideological and religious conflicts are diminishing, at least diminishing as causes of war. The only places where historical conflicts continue to exist are among the poorer nations in the world which include India,'' he said.

``Another new cause of war is water. Many countries have tension over water and why look around the world when even in our own country many states are fighting over water'' he added.

He also said that media is an inescapable reality in war situations anywhere in the world. Whether it is in Bosnia, the Gulf war or in our own back yard in Kashmir. Media is not an adversary in war rather a credible and free press can be instrumental in winning wars. Going back to Cold War days he said: ``One side persuaded even the other side that we are the good guys and the adversaries are the bad guys.''

By the time the cold war ended the Soviets and people in eastern Europe had actually come to believe the free Western press as opposed to their own propaganda machinery. In India's context he explained the difference between the conducting of Operations Blue Star and Black Thunder.

``The army did not permit the media during Blue Star and the people believed the worst. There was a rebellion within some units of the army. But the soldiers who rebelled rushed to their villages in Punjab to check if all was well and not to New Delhi to overthrow the government. On the other hand, Operation Black Thunder was in full view of the media and cameras even captured military snipers in action. There was no room for rumour with this transparency,'' he added.

Illustrating his point on how democracies emerge victorious, Gupta said the Falklands war proved that a democracy was more resilient. Britain defeated Argentinian dictatorship thousands of miles away from home in 1983. Closer home he gave the example of Sri Lanka where 5,000 soldiers were killed in the year 2000 alone. ``But people have more faith in a democracy. Despite the war, investments are coming into the country and skyscrapers continue to come up in Colombo. The world looks at a democracy more seriously,'' he said.

He urged the miitary establishment to be prepared to take questions. ``The Parliament, judiciary and media will ask questions. We have seen this after Kargil, but this is a part of life in a democracy. The world opinion will always be on the side of a democracy when it takes on a dictatorship,'' he reiterated.

In the case of India's engagement with either of its two possible military adversaries; China or Pakistan, only one of the three is a democracy and this is to our advantage. This is why India needs to strengthen its institutions of democracy, he added.

Among those who were present included former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral, distinguished journalist and MP Kuldip Nayyar, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis, former air chiefs Satish Sareen, Arjan Singh, N.C. Suri, former army chiefs Generals Ved Prakash Malik, V.N Sharma and former Navy chief Admiral Nanda.