India, Libya and the Kashmir Paradox

India has vehemently opposed the imposition of a no-fly zone in strife-torn Libya. Though New Delhi supported U.N. Security Council Resolution 1970, authorizing ecomonic sanctions against Col. Moammar Gadhafi and referring Libya to the International Criminal Court, India has made it clear that it stands against any kind of military intervention in the troubled state.

However, New Delhi's aversion to intervention is far from consistent: When it comes to South Asia, in particular, intervention in the internal matters of other states has long been part and parcel of India's foreign policy. In 1971, India fought a war with Pakistan and liberated Bangladesh. It sent a peacekeeping force to strife-torn Sri Lanka in 1987. Maoists in Nepal blame their political misfortunes on India's interventionist policies there, and Bhutan exists as a virtual Indian protectorate.   ...