Two of them, India and China, continue to deliver on that promise, albeit with diminished vigour as an economic slowdown set in globally. However, the other three — that is, Brazil, Russia and South Africa, being commodity exporters — have been hobbled by shrunk demand. What was novel was India involving the BIMSTEC nations, consisting besides India of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka, as part of the BRICS outreach. A proposal for a corridor linking Bangladesh and China via India and Myanmar (BCIM) has been on the table for a while. That is why, as Henry Kissinger, the modern-day Chanakya, wrote, good strategy can brook poor tactics but poor strategy cannot be redeemed.

Source: The Hindu October 19, 2016 20:15 UTC