Walter Russell Mead: evaluation

Transcript context

…What does it look like for the northeast of India to break away from the Indian state? You look at a map — it doesn’t make sense, right? Well, it would immediately lead to its annexation by China, which is something that I think very few people in northeastern India want. I think there are very good reasons why the Indian northeast is not a total hotbed of separatist sentiment, and I think that’s likely to continue. It remains a really complicated part of the country — very sensitive set of issues there. But I think the Indian interest in preventing China from moving in there, and in supporting its own national sovereignty, plus the very sound argument you can make to a lot of people in the northeast. “You may not be happy with New Delhi. Do you think Beijing is going to pay better attention to you?” That’s likely to keep northeast India in the fold, but I don’t know — it’s the future. Here’s a real softball. If China were to move on Taiwan, what’s the most likely scenario? Is it a blockade? They start by taking the small islands, they send a small amphibious force, they bomb everything? Or?…

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