That Shashi Tharoor would think India need SA (No, the non-cricketing SA, with Riyadh as its capital) to mediate is amusing. Like two kids in the playground asking a teacher to make sense of their squabble. And that he would use loopholes in English language to defend his opinion is even more amusing. Okay, it was not mediator, it was interlocutor. Yeah, we get it. But in a country run by adults, why is this the most opted for choice in conflict resolution?
It is reflective of the choices we individuals make in daily life. It is our collective unconscious speaking, perhaps. The way we need validation, the way we need acceptance, the way we seek actively to avoid conflicts and 'stay in the limelight, but out of the line of fire'. The comfort zones. We want to make a point without taking responsibility for it. If it is accepted well, we bask in the glory of it. If not, "God forbid, I ever meant it like that!" or "Media twists my statements to meet their own ends". Or something to that effect. Few people stick with what they say, even if it is glaringly politically incorrect (Not that I am advocating that). Fewer still honestly apologize (Not advocating that either).
All of the above is speculation devoid of judgment. It is the way the human psyche works. It works towards meeting very basic needs. Of affiliation and acceptance. Of being universally liked and of being right. And, in some cases, the need of a vote-bank.