India-US Nuclear Deal
The nuclear deal is still not out of the woods yet. The Non-Proliferation hawks in Washington are going to put up a stiff fight against it. One of the arguments that is being advanced is that special treatment of India would lead to calls for similar concessions from other nations, such as Pakistan and Iran.
However, it seems to me to be ridiculous to equate India's status in terms of responsibility and size with those of Pakistan and Iran. This is one issue in which American and Indian interests would both be well served with the realization of the simple fact that India is looking for a reason to finish its transformation into a pro-American country. The nuclear deal and support for permanent seat in the UN security council are the acid tests, that the Indians will use to see how much of a friend America really is.
A bump in this path is not in Indian interest, as it would have to turn to other powers like China, with whom it has a lesser sense of ideological affinity. However, a bump is not in American interests either. India is not only the second biggest nation in the world, it is also the second biggest Muslim nation in the world. India is a good place to start if America really intends to win the war on terror by transforming the hearts and minds of the Islamic people of the world.
As evidenced by its relationship with Russia, India has a record of sticking with its friends, even when they are on a terminal decline. In 1992 India was in deep financial crisis. It had to mortgage its gold reserves with the world bank in order to get a bailout loan. At around the same time, the Russian Rouble collapsed. A huge debt owed by India to Russia, suddenly shrunk in size to a tenth of its original value. However, India agreed to pay the full fair amount to Russia for the goods it had received, although it was not obligated to do so under any international laws.
That however, was a different age. Nobody expects the US to go out of its way to help India in this age of RealPolitik. However, the US does itself a dis-service if it hopes for India to become a close ally while at the same time treating it on the same geo-political plane that it reserves for Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. Because of its size, its blemishless record of being a responsible nuclear power and because of its growing clout, India deserves at least some special treatment.
India has to find its energy somewhere to feed its growing economy. It is either American nuclear technology that comes with progressive cultural and economic influences, or it is oil from respectable as well as seedy nations of the world, which invariably comes packaged with extremist and recidivist social and economic influences. Whatever the influence, there are a billion Indians who are there to be influenced. 160 million of them are Muslims.
However, it seems to me to be ridiculous to equate India's status in terms of responsibility and size with those of Pakistan and Iran. This is one issue in which American and Indian interests would both be well served with the realization of the simple fact that India is looking for a reason to finish its transformation into a pro-American country. The nuclear deal and support for permanent seat in the UN security council are the acid tests, that the Indians will use to see how much of a friend America really is.
A bump in this path is not in Indian interest, as it would have to turn to other powers like China, with whom it has a lesser sense of ideological affinity. However, a bump is not in American interests either. India is not only the second biggest nation in the world, it is also the second biggest Muslim nation in the world. India is a good place to start if America really intends to win the war on terror by transforming the hearts and minds of the Islamic people of the world.
As evidenced by its relationship with Russia, India has a record of sticking with its friends, even when they are on a terminal decline. In 1992 India was in deep financial crisis. It had to mortgage its gold reserves with the world bank in order to get a bailout loan. At around the same time, the Russian Rouble collapsed. A huge debt owed by India to Russia, suddenly shrunk in size to a tenth of its original value. However, India agreed to pay the full fair amount to Russia for the goods it had received, although it was not obligated to do so under any international laws.
That however, was a different age. Nobody expects the US to go out of its way to help India in this age of RealPolitik. However, the US does itself a dis-service if it hopes for India to become a close ally while at the same time treating it on the same geo-political plane that it reserves for Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. Because of its size, its blemishless record of being a responsible nuclear power and because of its growing clout, India deserves at least some special treatment.
India has to find its energy somewhere to feed its growing economy. It is either American nuclear technology that comes with progressive cultural and economic influences, or it is oil from respectable as well as seedy nations of the world, which invariably comes packaged with extremist and recidivist social and economic influences. Whatever the influence, there are a billion Indians who are there to be influenced. 160 million of them are Muslims.
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