[Gengis Khan]

Majority of Indians favour Washington Friday Jan. 27, 2006: According to a Global Attitudes Survey, Indians lead the world for the most favourable impression of the US — 71 per cent of Indian respondents approved of Washington, followed by 62 per cent Polish, 59 per cent Canadians and 55 per cent Britons. The overwhelming pro-US sentiment among the Indian populace is matched by a growing chorus within the country’s strategic elites and opinion-turners to cross the Rubicon and ally unequivocally with the sole superpower. Policy guru K. Subrahmanyam’s journey from scepticism and caution to a calculated pro-American standpoint is symptomatic of a shift in collective consciousness that should hardly be surprising. As diplomat Pavan Varma observes, Indians are, by psyche, collaborators with powers that are stronger and undefeatable. The odyssey that India as a nation and a state has made from the Soviet bear hug of the 1970s to the American eagle’s embrace is a major transformation in world politics, a highway dotted with some crucial milestones since 1991. President Bill Clinton’s no-nonsense admonishment of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the subsequent Pakistani withdrawal from Kargil in 1999 was a major diplomatic event that signalled new equations in the subcontinent. It melted Cold War-era misgivings about mala fide American intentions and gave credence to the notion that Uncle Sam is no longer pro-Pakistan when it comes to Kashmir. The rousing welcome Mr Clinton got on his landmark visit to India in 2000 contained a sizeable positive hangover from the Kargil intercession. No matter how repetitive the official take is on “de-hyphenation” of US policy towards India and Pakistan, the fact remains that the Indian public and the security establishment are ultra-sensitive to how Washington approaches Islamabad. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s expression of “great disappointment” at the delivery of F-16s to Pakistan is one recent example. The post-September 11 cozying up of the US to the Pakistani military regime and continued adherence of Washington to the idea of maintaining “strategic balance” in the subcontinent are irritants unlikely to vanish any time soon, irrespective of the euphoria surrounding India-US strategic cooperation, military exercises and economic interaction. Another unexpected hurdle that India hoped would be passé as soon as a Republican administration came in 2001 is the nuclear technology and fuel transfer rigmarole. With “non-proliferation Ayatollahs” setting up a battle royale in the US Congress over special and differential treatment for India, separation of powers between executive and legislature in American politics has suddenly become an onerous challenge for New Delhi’s lobbying capacity. Killing of administration bills by the US Congress has a long history, the most infamous one being rejection of Woodrow Wilson’s proposal to join the League of Nations. Conditionalities such as India voting against Iran at the IAEA are being brought up as quid pro quos that might appease the non-proliferation backers, but this moots a classic clash of New Delhi’s domestic politics with America’s. The UPA government cannot afford to displease the Left by voting against Iran for a second time at Vienna. In 2003, India resisted sending troops to Iraq despite high-level US attempts at dangling carrots of more pressure on Gen. Musha-rraf to halt cross-border terrorism. Lack of domestic consensus and justifiable fears of getting entangled in a bloody insurgency led to that decision. Long-term energy security interests and Left pressure will likewise constrict New Delhi’s flexibility on Iran. The fact that the US is badly embroiled in a “Vietnamising” Iraq suggests that full-scale war on Iran is an unfeasible scenario any time soon, even if the IAEA refers it to the UN Security Council. A backdoor compromise among the EU-3, the US and India to the effect that war will not be on the cards could break the logjam. Given the background of rapidly expanding popular and governmental ties between the world’s largest democracies, summit meetings have a cementing importance. President George W. Bush’s scheduled tour of India in March will be less glamorous and precedent-breaking than Clinton’s but more substantive because the latter came at the fag end of his second term as a lame duck unable to issue or carry through commitments. Mr Bush has two more years to go at the helm and the timing of this visit is more profitable in terms of the policy cycle. Counter-terrorism and civilian nuclear technology transfer will undoubtedly be hot potatoes on the menu of the Bush-Manmohan summit, but these do not constitute the whole shebang. Mr Bush will endorse India as the regional hegemon by consulting with its leaders on escalating violence in Nepal and Sri Lanka, a way of publicly deferring regional security to the South Asian Big Brother. There will be business delegations accompanying Mr Bush to quietly notch out bilateral agreements on the sidelines. (Source : Press Trust of India )

http://indiamonitor.com/news/readNews.jsp?ni=10312

[SteveMcKing]

A most loathsome response from Europeans is, "We love Americans but hate their government!"

The only Americans they ever meet are idle-rich and vacationing college kids.

They would hate you and me... trust me.

[Gengis Khan]

The Free Republic India and Indo-US Issues Ping!

Freepmail me if you want on/off.

[Brian Allen]

<< US most loved by Indians: Global survey >>

And we also love you.

[But forgive us if we are just a tiny bit wary of your relationship with the Persians]

Blessings - Brian

BUMPping

[Gengis Khan]

 

The Eagle's embrace - the Bush visit to India

By Sreeram Chaulia: According to a Global Attitudes Survey, Indians lead the world for the most favourable impression of the US - 71 percent of Indian respondents approved of Washington, followed by 62 percent Polish, 59 percent Canadians and 55 percent Britons. The overwhelming pro-US sentiment among the Indian populace is matched by a growing chorus within the country's strategic elites and opinion-turners to cross the Rubicon and ally unequivocally with the sole superpower.

Policy guru K. Subrahmanyam's journey from scepticism and caution to a calculated pro-American standpoint is symptomatic of a shift in collective consciousness that should hardly be surprising. As diplomat Pavan Varma observes, Indians are, by psyche, collaborators with powers that are stronger and undefeatable.

The odyssey that India as a nation and a state has made from the Soviet bear hug of the 1970s to the American eagle's embrace is a major transformation in world politics, a highway dotted with some crucial milestones since 1991. President Bill Clinton's no-nonsense admonishment of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the subsequent Pakistani withdrawal from Kargil in 1999 was a major diplomatic event that signalled new equations in the subcontinent. It melted Indian Cold War-era misgivings about mala fide American intentions and gave credence to the notion that Uncle Sam is no longer pro-Pakistan when it comes to Kashmir. The rousing welcome Clinton got on his landmark visit to India in 2000 contained a sizeable positive hangover from the Kargil intercession.

No matter how repetitive the official take is on 'de-hyphenation' of US policy towards India and Pakistan, the fact remains that the Indian public and the security establishment are ultra-sensitive to how Washington approaches Islamabad. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's expression of "great disappointment" at the delivery of F-16s to Pakistan is one recent example. The post-Sep 11 cozying up of the US to the Pakistani military regime and continued adherence of Washington to the idea of maintaining "strategic balance" in the subcontinent are irritants unlikely to vanish any time soon, irrespective of the euphoria surrounding India-US strategic cooperation, military exercises and economic interaction.

Another unexpected hurdle that India hoped would be passé as soon as a Republican administration came in 2001 is the nuclear technology and fuel transfer rigmarole. With 'non-proliferation Ayatollahs' setting up a battle royale in the US Congress over special and differential treatment for India, separation of powers between executive and legislature in American politics has suddenly become an onerous challenge for New Delhi's lobbying capacity. Killing of administration bills by the US Congress has a long history, the most infamous one being rejection of Woodrow Wilson's proposal to join the League of Nations.

Conditionalities such as India voting against Iran at the IAEA are being brought up as quid pro quos that might appease the non-proliferation backers, but this moots a classic clash of New Delhi's domestic politics with America's. The ruling Indian coalition cannot afford to displease the Left by voting against Iran for a second time at Vienna. In 2003, India resisted sending troops to Iraq despite high-level US attempts at dangling carrots of more pressure on Musharraf to halt cross-border terrorism. Lack of domestic consensus and justifiable fears of getting entangled in a bloody insurgency led to that decision.

Long-term energy security interests and Left pressure will likewise constrict New Delhi's flexibility on Iran. The fact that the US is badly embroiled in a 'Vietnamising' Iraq suggests that full-scale war on Iran is an unfeasible scenario any time soon, even if the IAEA refers it to the UN Security Council. A backdoor compromise among the EU3, the US and India to the effect that war will not be on the cards could break the logjam.

Given the background of rapidly expanding popular and governmental ties between the world's largest democracies, summit meetings have a cementing importance. President George W. Bush's scheduled tour of India in March will be less glamorous and precedent-breaking than Clinton's but more substantive because the latter came at the fag end of his second term as a lame duck unable to issue or carry through commitments.

Bush has two more years to go at the helm and the timing of this visit is more profitable in terms of the policy cycle. Counter-terrorism and civilian nuclear technology transfer will undoubtedly be hot potatoes on the menu of the Bush-Manmohan summit, but these do not constitute the whole shebang. Bush will endorse India as the regional hegemon by consulting with its leaders on escalating violence in Nepal and Sri Lanka, a way of publicly deferring regional security to the South Asian Big Brother.

There will be business delegations accompanying Bush to quietly notch out bilateral agreements on the sidelines. On the cards for Bush's trip this time is a Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture and discussions to deepen free trade, investment and armament sales -- areas of high priority to America Incorporated.

NATO-class sophisticated military hardware is a key to the evolving bilateral relationship due to its implications for India as a countervailing force to authoritarian China, one of the favourite themes of the Republican administration. India's long-term grand objective for competing with China will be to secure enough traction from the US now so that there is continuity even if pro-China Democrats regain the presidency in 2008.

The Bush state visit may be better remembered for pushing the frontiers on these nitty-gritty topics that ultimately thicken relations and reorder Asia's chessboard configuration.

(Sreeram Chaulia is a commentator on international affairs. He can be reached at sreeramchaulia@hotmail.com)

http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=94913

[GVnana]

Well, why shouldn't we love India? An English literate, ancient civilization full of God-fearing anti-Communists, that aren't rich enough (yet) to be spoiled by luxury. What's not to like?

[Larry Lucido]

Well, then, by all means, let's keep verbally abusing them every time we get a customer service representative on the phone with an Indian accent.

/sarcasm

[CarrotAndStick]

"But, long-term energy security interests and Left pressure will likewise constrict New Delhi’s flexibility on Iran."

And Chinese influence in Iran. Especially Chinese aquisitions of Iranian oil and gas fields.

[Malesherbes]

"Bush has two more years at the helm." By my count he has three. In any case, I'm very pleased that America is liked in India...and also in Poland where I've had direct experience of it.

[NewJerseyJoe]

> 59% Canadians

Huh?? Is that correct -- 59%?? Is there another Canada that no one's been telling us about???

[Tzimisce]

...I notice our "allies" the French don't appear at the top of the list...

[Pro-Bush]

This excludes Arab Indians I take it.

[familyop]

"The fact that the US is badly embroiled in a ‘Vietnamising’ Iraq suggests that full-scale war on Iran is an unfeasible scenario any time soon."

Israel will be well covered. The Iranian leaders are trying to provoke hasty movements by us but are likely looking at other countries--countries without adequate anti-ballistic missile defenses and with only short range weapons of the first Cold War. The USA is far out of range for Iran and will be for a long time. What smaller, old-technology nuclear devices could be smuggled into the USA (possibly but not probably, as such things are yet large, heavy and detectable objects) could only make us angry enough to nuke antagonistic, foreign populations.

IMO, Iran is western Europe's nightmare and will eventually solve our USA's main public relations problem (those who pretend to be our friends with one face and defame us to the world with their other face).

[gotribe]

Who cares whether we're loved by other countries. It's stupid.

[foolscap]

India is a wonderful place in so many ways and I have found the people very friendly. I have great admiration for them and how they have pulled themselves together after centuries of extreme poverty. There is still aways to go but their progress is remarkable.

How an you not love a country with such wonderful things like curry, chutney and lasse. It's all so good! The number one most wonderful thing about the Indians is the fact they are not French. You got to love them just for that.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

All the people I have met from India are super nice and very hospitable. I think I was impressed with them most when, right after 9-11, they took to the streets of India to protest against muslim terrorists while other countries were passing out candy in celebration. Here's to a wonderful friendship with India and long may it prosper!

[TSgt]

Indians are great until they get a H1B visa and take your job because companies can't find good technical people in this country to do the job that you just lost.

[ScreamingFist]

71% of Indian respondents approved of Washington

Indians approval rating of Washington is higher than Americans approval rating......go figure! That being said, USA, Britain, Australia and India....the team that will kick radical islam back to the stone age......and probably also the great alliance that will eventually have to deal with China.

[noblejones]

>>
Bush has two more years to go at the helm . . .
<<

What value has the opinion of someone who cannot perform grade school level mathematics problems?

[GretchenM]

the US is badly embroiled in a ‘Vietnamising’ Iraq

What the?