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Some day we will have to really make the Indians happy. We may think that currently we need Pakistan (who are at best extremely questionable allies), but someday we will realize what the Russians came to understand some time ago. India is a necessary buffer against growing Chinese dominance. In geo-political and military terms India is a vital peg in ensuring China is at least stabilized to some extent.

Think about it. Russia invests heavily in India since it has a huge strategic interest in a powerful India (the Siberian region in Russia is a huge magnet for China. China claims Russia annexed the region, and the Russians have a border issue that makes our Mexican immigration situation seem tiny in comparison). At the same time the Israelis are investing heavily in India's military and intelligence industry (since India is their partner in the war against terrorism and knows the ravages of terror well).

However what are we doing? Being codly with a Pakistan that has mroe anti-US sentiment than all of the Sunni Triangle distilled, and is a fester of terrorist sympathy and a Jihadi breeding ground. Why? So they can 'help' us in our war against terror.

Some day we will need a true ally in the region, and we will have to turn to India. It will be interesting to see how Powell (or whoever is in his position then) will explain to Delhi why he duped them into thinking everything was well only to offer a non-member NATO ally position to Pakistan. Some day we will realize who are true allies are and which nations only want to appear to be helping us.

I hope that when that day comes it is not too late.

If we continue on this course, we will set the stage for one of the premisis of my Dragon's Fury Series novels...that India gets so disenfranchised with the west that they continue to be drawn into the other sphere...first economically and ultimately militarily.

As you have said spetz...I hope and pray we wake up to who our ally in the region should be. After spending some time there myself in India, it is obvious India can easily fill that role...and should IMHO. That is one of the reasons I wrote the series as I did.

What nonsense! The Indians have been playing the US like the French for over forty years. The Indians need the US a heckuva lot more than the US needs India. If the Indians want the benefits of a strategic partnership, then let them act like it when the chips are down, insteading of sucking up to the Russians and other anti-American countries. The Indians weren't with us during the Cold War (like the Pakistanis were) and they're not with us now (like the Pakistanis are).

And I disagree with what seems to be your view that we need to consider all Moslem countries as enemies and all non-Moslem countries as potential friends. This doesn't square with the record. I'm glad that President Bush doesn't buy into that nonsense.