Time will tell whether this visit will be historic or not. Obama is coming to India to ensure that the Indian market for the american companies.Back home he is under tremendous pressure after the win of republicans in mid-term polls. On the defence front, unless transfer of technology is not done to India, any kind of deal will only increase our reliance on America which is detrimental to Indian interests. US should understand India`s concerns on development and security and come up with a clear policy on it.Till then, such visits cannot be termed historic.
With B Hussain O in power no strategic ties with India are possible. He is a sympathizer of Islam, is aiding Pak, has decided to visit a muslim emperor's tomb in Delhi,has been unable to get out of the Cold War paradigms, and has cemented ties with China. All this is contrast to Republican Bush who derived fresh inputs from the Heritage Foundation and took bold new initiatives. The visit can amount to no more than media blitz with lots of good will and no substance.
US presently does not think of India as a threat. Atleast it communicates in the manner of seeing India as a friend and not a threat. But all through the cold war years India was subjected to threat measures and India did not respond, first due to imprint left by Prez Kennedy in the context of 1962 war. Also, because there was no way India could handle China, Pakistan and USA, even while subjected to cold war machinations by US.
Given the colonial legacy, the ever increasing realisation of the role played by US in creating terror infrastructure, the sizeable presence of Muslim population who are a major determinant of secular polity, and finally the turning away from traditional pro-US position by rightist parties to almost anti-US stances, there is increased diffidence about US in India.
The security architecture assiduously built by MMS administration could soon be a thing of past unless credible policy measures are taken to give India its legitimate due in NPT. A new polarisation away from open market economy and quadilateral security architecture with Japan and East Asian nations is a distinct possibility.
The backdrop of Republican victory hopefully would lead to course correction frok the traditional hardballing of cap,rollback and eliminate stance taken by Prez Clinton and initially continued by Prez Obama.
The subterfuge of sovereign rights not to be bound by the NPT is not going to cut any ice with India, is likely to be seen as diplomatese deception.
Re: the threat perceptions of India are muted
by Ramesh on Nov 05, 2010 04:10 AM
If the visit does not deliver on brass tacks our extra ordinary leader will look more and more like as an ordinary extra of the hero Prez Obama.
Re: Re: the threat perceptions of India are muted
by Ramesh on Nov 05, 2010 05:02 AM
Indian development needs are real, the threat perceptions are no less real. The currently dominant intellectual underpinning of India is at utmost comfort level with west.
This do create an unprecedented opportunity to shape a development paradigm based on open market economy for the logic of production to propel expansionary spiral and for distributive logic to follow suit. This expansion is bridled by not only security issues but unjustified non-proliferation concerns which blocks India access to technologies for development.
It is the economic development imperative which needs the legitimacy to its strategic capability, and help shift the consensus towards disruptive changes inherent in the efforts to open market economy.
India surely does need erudite leaders like MMS, but success of China in playing the hardball to further its economy would encourage India to experiment with a different kind of leadership style.
One hope there is enough horse-sense in the decision-making to atleast dimly comprehend the dark patterns in our billion strong democracy and give her difficult strvings for legitimacy and secular society full marks.
