Modi-Putin Messaging Sputnik-Shakti
The process of validating vaccines for public inoculation is methodical and tedious. The process is so quantitatively pragmatic that a decimal difference in the vaccine's efficacy matters a lot. There are many boxes to tick. The first box to check is vaccine efficacy; the second is the ease of storage and last-mile delivery; the third is production cost, and the fourth is for the sustenance of comprehensive national and global health and economic security. Unfortunately, not all manufacturing nations have been able to tick all these boxes. Some crafty jab-sellers are said to have tried to arm-twist the developing world with whimsical demands, whopping prices, hoarding of necessary raw materials, and supplies promised in the distant future. When the geographical birthplace of the pandemic returns to normalcy, as if no pandemic ever hit it, the other parts of the world are reeling under second and third waves. It, therefore, becomes essential to send a long-haul message in a hazy international vista.
On April 12, 2021, the sixtieth anniversary of Yuri's Night, when Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into outer space, India authorised Russia's Sputnik V as an emergency use vaccine in the country. The sheer coincidence, to any observer with a penchant for particulars, seems like some messaging. Although Gagarin travelled in a capsule and a rocket, both termed Vostok, the name Sputnik accompanies perceptions of the Russian space program. To add, Russia has been an integral part of India's human spaceflight program. Indian vyomanauts have returned home from their initial training at Russia's Star City a week or so ago. These events coincided with a significant visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to New Delhi. What do these incongruent developments suggest?
The constant danger posed by West-led sanctions was already prompting India and Russia to explore new avenues of bilateral cooperation beyond military exports. Unlike in the pre-1991 era when India was a beneficiary of the Soviet largesse, the India-Russia bilateral relationship today stands on the plinth of equity in the partnership. It takes into consideration India's stature, which has grown tremendously since then. The 2017 Vladivostok trip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi identified information technology, mining, and petroleum as some of the new pivots of bilateral cooperation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, biopharmaceuticals have become a key part of the long list of collaborations, with Sputnik V serving as a shining example in assisting India during a national public health emergency. This assistance will significantly impact how Russia is perceived in a country of 1.3 billion people.
The positive perception of Russia in India is also likely to be compared with that of China. Moscow's improved perception is expected to foster the seeds that were sown more recently in Sochi and Vladivostok. The diversification of trade between Russia and India is mutually beneficial. India gains access to Russian resources, while Russia gains access to India's vast market. The shining example is also a sign of a win-win equation that both countries have cultivated.
Sputnik V has made inroads into Europe, West Asia, South America, and other world regions. However, while doing so, both India and Russia made sure they did not step on each other's diplomatic overtures. This mutual understanding is also one of the many underrated reasons for the great success of Vaccine Maitri. Such government-to-government manoeuvring is only possible with immense confidence in relations and mutual respect. Furthermore, such manoeuvring also stems from the nation's top leadership's grasp over the innovation ecosystems. Despite their extraordinary potential to provide solutions to the world, some economically advanced countries are unfortunately suffering from misalignment between their private ecosystems and their governments. Although such misalignments evolve into chronic issues over extended periods, they come about as acute syndromes in times of global emergency. These countries will undoubtedly iron out their internal differences, but the world will not receive the much-needed solution until that happens.
By providing emergency use authorisation for Sputnik V in India on Yuri's Night, Delhi has taken its friendship with Moscow one notch higher. Such a bilateral amity, although rare, is needed in this time of despair. Leaders who prioritise long-term goals over short-term gains will be required in a multipolar world. Modi and Putin have set the bar high.
