It takes the
visit of none less than the American President himself to turn the
America's and hence the world's attention to India! American newspapers
over the week have reported on India's new-found economic growth and
Newsweek even did an India special. And finally India made on the front
pages of major newspapers without detonating a nuclear weapon or a
natural calamity striking it killing millions.
American Presidents have seldom come to India and Mr. Bush is only the
fifth one to do so. Eisenhower was the first in 1959. He received a
hero's welcome by millions on the roads of Delhi, and his administration
made economic aid to India a foreign policy priority. However by 1969
Indo-US relations reached their nadir and although Richard Nixon
received a lukewarm welcome, his foreign policy favored Pakistan. Given
Indira Gandhi's criticism of American role in Vietnam, he knew better
than to expect more. Pakistan was soon to become a key American ally in
South Asia. When Jimmy Carter came in 1978, he was the only US President
not to combine his India trip with what has become a compulsory trip to
Pakistan. The bonhomie didn't last long and economic ties soon became
strained with Coca Cola pulling out of India along with other American
firms only to come back decades later. It was to be two decades before
India played host to the next American president. When Bill Clinton came
in 2000, his charisma reminded old South Blocks hags of the Eisenhower
era. Six years later, this week India hosts George Bush.
The media frenzy in India over his visit in India is understandable. The
question being asked from pan-shop to posh TV studios is whether the US
finally come to terms with the fact that it cannot 'ignore' India's
emergence as a economic power in the 21st century? Will US try to limit
India's hope of a role in world politics by clipping our nuclear
feathers and curtailing our dreams of a permanent seat in the UN
security council? Or is it something we Indians would like to believe?
The present government faces a challenge of unprecedented quantum. It is
dependent on the Left who believe that India's strategic partnership
with the United States is dangerous. The Left claims that the strategic
partnership facilitates the US in acquiring vantage positions in the
Indian economy because we Indians represent a huge market for American
goods and they would like us to believe that the present US policy is
guided by its efforts to use India to contain China.
It is impractical that the Indo-American ties are being viewed in uni-dimensional
terms. We must accept that a partnership with the world's largest
economy is inevitable. It is in India's interest to forge closer ties
with the US. And the Manmohan Singh government cannot choose to let the
Left decide India's foreign policy. If the Left wants that privilege it
must become an accountable part of the governance system. India's
fragile relationship with America cannot be held hostage to the demands
of the communists stuck in a time-warp. While it is fashionable to
criticize and condemn everything American, India must recognize that it
can no longer be non-aligned in a uni-polar world.
A change in Indo-US ties has even made China take note. This is the
first time that the ties have thawed post Pokhran II. On the Kashmir
issue, we have seen the US move away from its usual response of a UN
sponsored resolution of the dispute. A closer US-India tie should lead
to US influencing Pakistan's decision to seek a serious resolution of
the conflict soon.
However there will be continue to be differences and these must exist
between two sovereign nations. George Bush and his administration
expects unilateral support of its allies and India has always been one
with an opinion that differs. India must continue to condemn America's
designs for political and economic hegemony through use of force and
unjustified war. The American actions in Iraq must be condemned. Nothing
can justify one nation's forceful occupation of another under the
pretext of fighting global terrorism. If the US truly wishes to become
the Global Sheriff it must also spank the other naughty boys including
its favorite pet in South Asia - Pakistan.
What will happen is what happens everywhere - negotiations. Each party
will have to decide their priorities and some concessions will have to
be made. For the American side, the success of the visit will depend
upon an agreement on civil nuclear energy. And for India any agreement
that gives away too much will be a political hara-kiri. Finally both
Bush and Singh will have to hammer out a deal that they can sell to
their people. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Mr. Bush finds "this
foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." as quoted by the New York
Daily News (April 23, 2002).
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