The Modi government has cooled public passions about the Chinese border clashes with nationalist rhetoric and a few economic sanctions. But India’s strategic position is weak—and Modi knows it.

With elections looming, the Modi government has transformed a serious security breach into a public relations coup.

Nobel laureate Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul’s relationship to India was as complicated as the man himself. If Naipaul’s books caused a stir, some of his statements after winning the Nobel caused an uproar.