Brilliant or Blunder ?

In a recent speech to the U.N, our very own Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said "We must address the issue of the deficit in global governance. We need a stronger and more effective United Nations that is sensitive to the aspirations of everyone -- rich or poor, big or small. For this, the United Nations and its principal organs, the General Assembly and the Security Council, must be revitalised and reformed. The reform and expansion of the Security Council are essential if it is to reflect contemporary reality. Such an outcome will enhance the Council's credibility and effectiveness in dealing with global issues. Early reform of the Security Council must be pursued with renewed vigour and urgently enacted,"........

In this speech he plunged head-first into addressing global problems and spoke for the world as a whole. All in all, this much was a master stroke worthy of applause, however, in this same speech, he went on to emphasize the ills of globalization which not all believe in. While this does not adversely impact India's bid to join the U.N Security Council as a permanent member, Dr. Manmohan Singh also spoke directly against Western powers "forcing" democracy on countries who do not want it. Whether or not he was morally right, this statement will not go down well with the majority of the U.N Security Council permanent members, and of the only two who do not favor democracy, one has a border with India which is currently engaged as an active war zone under a ceasefire order. This gaffe certainly does us no favors.


At the end of the day, we can only hope for the best, expect the worst and ask ourselves, was this speech brilliant ? Or was it a blunder ?