The 26/11 of this month marks the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks. A decade has passed since then and the question today is what are the lessons learnt out of this horrific episode. The 26/11 terrorist attacks was a major security lapse which resulted in 166 deaths.
The implications of these attacks were manifold. It raised key questions on India's national security and its political decision making during and after the attacks. Many argued that India should have taken stern measures against Pakistan which had used non-state actors to export terror to the Indian Territory. The reason India didn't go for an all-out war against Pakistan was that India's potential for military action seemed to be have been deterred by Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
The question which remains unanswered is, how long can India allow Pakistan to use its nuclear arsenals as a 'blackmail weapon' to export terror to India and get away with it without having to pay any visibly significant cost? Since 1998 when both countries went nuclear, Pakistan has been indulged in nefarious activities against India.
Each time such an attack happens, India makes its moves cautiously to avoid conflict escalation. India being a responsible state in the international system has always maintained its policy of non-aggression unless forced to retaliate for its own defence.
The one lesson that 26/11 teaches is that winning the 'perception battle' against adversaries is as much important as winning a diplomatic battle. The surgical strikes conducted in September 2016 against Pakistan was precisely a move to improve the perception among the masses and in the international community.
As history is best judged in a rear view mirror, 26/11 becomes a reminder that both 'intentions' as well as 'capabilities' matter for countries that aspire to be counted as powerful in the international system.
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