Cardekho

The platitudinous and clichéd joint statement says all the right things- security and prosperity in an interconnected world, India’s economic development, rise as global power, the homilies to the international system and reference to global threats, among other things. In this sense, Cameron and Modi then have reasons to feel good: they have delivered speeches that are 'forward looking' and imply vision. But the problem is that the statement is too forward looking. World politics and international relations are too fluid to conform and correspond to the vision laid out by both Cameron and Modi. There are other issues of a structural nature with it.

This, insofar as the broad critique of the joint statement is concerned. But, it does mean that the two leaders’ meeting has been fruitless. There are key takeaways for both India and the United Kingdom- the former a nation that seems to be stuck in the ‘emerging power’ appellation and the latter a former colonial power whose role in the world has shrunk considerably and whose foreign policy orientation and approach has been characterized by a 'muddle' since the past decades or so.

So what are the key takeaways?

The thrust of the emerging bilateral relationship and the joint statement appears to lie in a commitment to the international system and order that emerged after the detritus of the Second World War. This international system – a compendium of power and a rule based on whose normative content and thrust was created and crafted by the West- is under threat – albeit a rather diffuse one.