Saeed Naqvi: “Our elites look at the world from a Western perspective”
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Renowned journalist Saeed Naqvi argues that India's media and foreign policy establishment remain constrained by a Western-centric colonial lens. He emphasizes the need for an independent perspective to better understand the link between international events and domestic political dynamics.
The Colonial Lens: Reevaluating India’s Global Perspective
Veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi, author of The World Was Not Their Story: Odyssey of an Indian Reporter, has sparked a critical dialogue regarding the intellectual autonomy of India’s foreign policy establishment and media apparatus. With a career spanning over six decades and reporting from more than 100 countries, Naqvi posits that India’s elite continue to view the world through a deeply ingrained Western perspective. This reliance on Western media outlets, such as The Times of London, Reuters, and The New York Times, suggests that despite decades of independence, the conceptual framework used to interpret global affairs remains tethered to a colonial past.
The Persistence of the 'Colonial Hangover'
Naqvi characterizes the continued reliance on Western narratives as a "colonial strait-jacket." While he acknowledges that the term may sound like a cliché, he argues that it remains an absolute explanation for the lack of original, indigenous analysis in Indian foreign coverage. This phenomenon is not merely a preference for international news sources but a fundamental failure to decouple India’s strategic vision from the interests and biases of former colonial powers. The comfort level that Indian elites maintain with Western worldviews stems from a historical inheritance that has proven difficult to discard.
Interconnectedness of Foreign and Domestic Dynamics
Central to Naqvi’s critique is the vital link between India’s foreign environment and its internal political dynamics. By outsourcing the interpretation of world events to Western media, Indian policymakers and the public risk ignoring how these global shifts directly impact the nation’s internal stability and political evolution. When the lens through which one views the world is inherently skewed, the resulting policy responses are often reactive rather than proactive, failing to account for the unique geopolitical realities of the Global South.
Institutional Inertia and Media Responsibility
The reliance on external sources creates an institutional inertia where the Indian media often mirrors the reporting priorities of London or New York. This, Naqvi suggests, limits the scope of public discourse. Instead of developing a uniquely Indian narrative that reflects the country's aspirations and its specific historical context, the discourse remains focused on the paradigms set by Western geopolitical actors. Breaking this cycle requires a deliberate shift in how information is sourced, synthesized, and presented to the Indian public.
Future Trends and the Need for Independent Reporting
Moving forward, the challenge for India’s media and policy analysts is to foster a more nuanced understanding of international relations that transcends the binary of Western-centric reporting. As India grows as a global power, the necessity for independent, ground-up reporting becomes paramount. Naqvi’s work serves as a call to action for journalists and policymakers to reclaim the narrative, ensuring that India’s foreign policy is driven by its own strategic requirements rather than the inherited perspectives of the colonial era. Only by shedding this intellectual dependency can India effectively navigate the complexities of the 21st-century geopolitical landscape.
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