Posted on 04/12/2005 3:51:52 PM PDT by The Incredible One
NEW DELHI: The Marxists have a radically different agenda. While describing the (former) Vajpayee government as “pro-imperialist”, they make no reference to the challenges posed by global terrorism.
They fault the NDA for supporting the US in its “war on Afghanistan”. They would like us to end all military cooperation with the US and demand its withdrawal from bases in our neighborhood. They oppose any nuclear weapons program for India.
By espousing the denuclearisation of South Asia they’d like us to abandon our longstanding policy of seeking nuclear disarmament on a non-discriminatory and universal basis. Their endorsement of proposals for regional denuclearisation, advocated jointly by China and the US, would render us vulnerable to nuclear blackmail from existing nuclear weapons powers, who do not rule out the use of nuclear weapons to promote their interests.
The one-sided rhetoric on Israel suggests that the Marxists are also oblivious of the national security imperatives of India-Israel relations.
The Marxists advocate a drive to build a multi polar world by cooperating with Russia and China, with a view to curbing American influence. But is China keen on seeing the emergence of India as an independent power center?
If this were indeed the case, how is it that for the past three decades China has provided unprecedented military assistance to Pakistan to enable that country to develop nuclear weapons and missiles that can target every urban center in India? It is now an established fact that China provided Pakistan the designs for its nuclear weapons.
Pakistan also has unsafeguarded plutonium facilities provided by China, for miniaturization of nuclear warheads. The “Shaheen-1” missile capable of striking at Delhi is a replica of the Chinese M-9 missile. The “Shaheen-2” missile capable of reducing Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram to ashes is a replica of the Chinese M-18/DF-15 missile.
The Chinese have extensive cooperation with Pakistan’s defence production outfits. Pakistan’s Air Force chief recently announced that China will be supplying the PAF with 100-150 “JF-7 Thunder” fighter aircraft that the Chinese are developing, with technology for engines and other accessories they obtained from Russia.
The Chinese Defence Minister assured the visiting Pakistan Navy Chief on May 18 that China would add punch to the Pakistan Navy by supplying it with four modern frigates. It is also worth recalling that in May 2001 General Musharraf pointed out that the main reason for seeking Chinese assistance to build the Gwadar Port on the Baluchistan coast was that “as and when needed the Chinese Navy would be in Gwadar to give a befitting reply to anyone (who threatened Pakistan)”.
India should naturally expand cooperation and seek to resolve differences with China. But we’d be living in an unreal world if we believe that China’s long-term strategic policies towards us are entirely benign.
It would be wonderful if foreign military presences are withdrawn from our neighborhood. But is this a realistic proposition? To our west, a number of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council like Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE have urged the US to maintain a military presence in the Gulf to balance Iranian and Iraqi ambitions.
To our east, Singapore welcomes an American military presence. The US has bases in Central Asia in Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In Tajikistan and Kyrgystan there are Russian and American military bases located barely a few kilometers apart. Any suggestion by us to these friendly partners that they should ask the Americans to leave would not be welcomed.
While there is some justification for criticizing the Vajpayee government for appearing to be bending rather too easily to American pressures, it would be unfair to criticize the cooperation extended to the US for the successful ouster of the Taliban regime from Afghanistan.
It is primarily as a result of this that Afghan soil is no longer available to anti-Indian terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen that were operating there with ISI support. It is the American intervention that resulted in the Northern Alliance, armed and supported by India, Iran and Russia, entering Kabul. It is the American military presence in Afghanistan that has led to Musharraf becoming more circumspect about aiding the Taliban and terrorist groups affiliated to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, that have been active in J&K.
I admire the Marxist leaders for their unswerving commitment to secularism and financial integrity. But in dealing with national security and foreign policy issues one has to recognize the realities of the contemporary world.
An India aligned with Russia and China is not a spectre we want to see.
I think there are a few people here on FR who tingle with delight at the thought also...
Yes. They don't seem to like America much. I wonder why they come to FR.
I agree..we should try and get Russia and India on to our side.
Sorry..I am not into India baiting you will have to find someone else. I notice that your posts are suspiciously pro pakistan and anti India
I am against Communism and those anti Israel, anti-US nut cases. I have a healthy respect for India and the Nationalists. I see India as an emerging democracy and we should do everything to woo it and bring it under our influence. Already India and Israel are coming together. If the guys at State can get their act together we might be able to trap the dragon.
Good analysis!!
The Indian political scene is divided into two groups - the Nationalists and the Left leaning folks (including the communists). The former as I understand are pro-US and the latter are anti-US and anti-Israel. By the way the Nationalists are not an insignificant minority they ruled India till the last elections in 2004.
I think there are a few people here on FR who tingle with delight at the thought also...
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May a POX henceforth be upon them !!! ;-))
He and his party were put out of power in the most recent (disasterous) election. Now, the newbies, who are essentially neo-Nehruists, are paving the way for an even bigger disaster.
Pro-Pakistan? No, except to acknowledge the help that they hve given over the years in fighting off the Soviets and in the War on Terror. (Thank God ofr Musharraf in that regard -- otherwise, they might not be an ally. But Musharraf does as much as he can for us without jeopardizing his own survival.
India is a democracy if you're in the upper castes. Otherwise, it's a very repressive tyranny that practices ethnic cleansing.
I don't consider it India-bashing to point out the country's long record of anti-Americanism. And they have done essentially nothing for the War on Terror either.
They're teh ones who organized the meeting to set up a security alliance "to stop the U.S." They're teh ones who sold heavy water to Iran and made an oil deal with Saddam's regime. (Iraq's oil minister called India "a strategic partner.")
Does this include the creation of the Taliban? and getting into bed with the Chicoms. Or maybe being the second pole of islamic fundamentalism...Pakistan is a terrorist state make no mistake about it. They allied with us against the Soviets for "strategic reasons" and nothing else.
India is a democracy if you're in the upper castes.
India has a Muslim president and a Sikh Prime Minister. They have affirmative action for the so called lower castes and the quotas range from 25-60%.
As opposed to this the Slammies in Pakistan treat non muslims as half human beings and non muslim women as quarter human beings..
and by the way i dont want to even attempt to understand terrorists and i dont have much respect for slammie / khalistani terrorist scum. terrorists are inhuman pigs and so are their sympathisers.
they also strenghtened india's relations with israel and almost contributed to the alliance in iraq. the deal fell through because of communist opposition.
when will the slammies stop murdering people and start treating non muslims as human beings in countries like pakistan, saudi arabia, kuwait..to name a few..
could you put in a word please. /sarcasm
Pro-Pakistan?
I am still waiting to see a comment on you condemning muslims and their murder of other religions including - the christians, jews, buddhists, hindus - take your pick. i find your silence very intriguing to say the least. this coupled with your anti-india rants make u a suspect.
Then you obviously haven't been paying attention, as I have posted plenty of them.
What I will not do, however, is condemn all of Islam for the actions of some of its members.
ping
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