In recent days, against the backdrop of the Indo-China Galwan Valley clash, India's relationship with its neighbours as well as the country's military prowess has become a talking point for many across the world.
The US appears to have held China responsible for the violent face of, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticising the Chinese Army for "escalating" the border tension. The US also called the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a "rogue actor".
But it would seem that this perception of India is not very new. In an interview with India Today, Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton opined that India had conducted itself well during the Balakot airstrike, and had displayed "restraint".
"We came away from the crisis feeling that the Indian side had exercised appropriate kind of restraint and it was a real incentive for deepening communication in the future crisis," Bolton told the publication.
While Bolton noted that things gain a "different version" based on which country you are in, he opined that the crisis had "showed something of the enhanced communication with New Delhi in particular".
When asked about Pakistan's failed retaliation to the IAF airstrike, Bolton said that he felt "India's behaviour was appropriate and proportionate and should mark an opportunity to avoid this thing happening again".
"With the new government in Pakistan impending to see if it might provide any opportunity for bilateral discussions," he added.
Speaking about the ongoing Indo-China rift, Bolton said that America should be "much more concerned about it". He drew a parallel with China's "behaviour in the South China Sea".
"The incident at Galwan raises very serious questions on what are the intentions of China....India has legitimate disagreements over territorial issues that can be resolved diplomatically," he said.
The former US Ambassador to the UN has repeatedly made headlines in recent months. His newly released Trump tell-all memoir, titled "The Room Where It Happened" has skyrocketed to popularity, with nearly 8 lakh copies being sold thus far.
