For India, there was much to be happy about in what came out of the Shangri-La dialogue. This conference enabled India to reconcile what it actually needs to balance against a far more powerful and prosperous China with its inability to do so effectively — largely as a result of historical baggage. The theme of Union Minister for Defence AK Antony’s speech on maritime security summarised the Indian dilemma in a nutshell — both in what it said and what it did not say.