CAN AMERICA AND INDIA FIGHT TERROR TOGETHER ?
President-elect Obama’s historic statement on the further consolidation of Indo-US relations in certain common areas like tackling international terrorism has gained increased relevance with the latest terrorist attack on India’s financial capital, Mumbai. It is now confirmed that the original plan of the terrorists was to attack the Indian Prime Minister in Mumbai in that particular hotel. The audacity and brazen act of terrorism has taken a new serious form with this recent incident.
At this critical juncture President-elect Obama has to carve out a ‘new deal’ in terms of international joint mechanism to counter international terrorism as both the thriving democracies have been facing the scourge of extremism.
In earlier occasions and in this recent attack, Pakistan’s hand is evident from the very nature of terrorist strategies adopted.
This fact has indeed reflected in the policy of US that has recently recognised that equating an emerging India with a growingly dysfunctional Pakistan does not serve American interests.
This led to the commencement of what is called as a policy of “decoupling” US relations with India and Pakistan.
The close proximity between USA and India in various forms including recent two incidences such as signing historic Indo-US nuclear deal and President-elect Barack Obama’s pro-India stand in reference to terrorism and other related issues of fighting poverty have become unacceptable to these anti-India-USA elements and trying to show their frustration to destabilise these two most vibrant democracies of the world. In his letter in September to the Indian Prime Minister, Obama pointed out that “the recent bombings in Kabul remind us that we are both victims of terrorist attacks on our soil, and we share a common goal of defeating these forces of extremism”.
In fact a Democratic Party document entitled “Renewing America’s Promise” adopted at its convention in Denver eschews using the phrase “Global War on Terror” and focuses on “combating violent extremism”. The new US administration will have to re-craft its relations with India and Pakistan based on an objective assessment of the intrinsic value of each country to US interests. While the US will have to recognise that India is on the way to becoming a major Asian power, and Pakistan as a country in “serious crisis” and has become the heaven for producing militancy. This approach will definitely make the Obama regime being more responsive than in the past on Indian concerns on terrorism, by acting to ban groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Obama has, in fact, accused Pakistan of misusing funds for the war against terror and allegedly using it to fund militancy against India in one of his campaign speech. The past experiences on affairs in Indian neighbourhood the US have generally backed what India did in the interests of regional stability. There have been ample examples; like Reagan’s backing for the 1987 Indo- Sri Lanka Agreement and for our 1988 military intervention in the Maldives. This present hour of crisis also requires similar actions in Indian neighbourhood on breeding points of terrorism. Pakistan’s constant claim of being serious in clamping down terrorism activities from its soil has remained a hollow statement and it looks like Pakistan’s inability to handle these types of fundamentalist groups. As India has become the worst suffer of extremism in the region, it needs to convince Pakistan to help India in attacking terrorist camps in the Pakistan soil with international consensus.
Barack Obama even talked of launching unilateral strikes or hot pursuit across the Afghan border to hit al- Qaeda. That is the question quite a few in the region started asking. Even the next probable Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a sensational statement few days ago about Pakistan’s dangerous instability and its nuclear dimension. She even went to the extent of promising a drastic solution, just short of the demented idea of a forcible takeover of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
The attack on Mumbai has also reinforced the urgency of taking some non-conventional steps to eliminate terrorism without any trace.
India has to reach out all responsible nations towards crafting a pro-active anti-terrorist drive without delay. This shocking and most atrocious form of terrorism after 9/11 will also have policy ramifications for president-elect Barack Obama’s future foreign policy. The new US President will have to take an extra mile in enacting an Indo-US joint strategy to fight extremism. The policy has to be shifted to fighting terrorism in a new and concerted way with the active help of country like India in a leading position.
The authors are with Bangalore Based National Law School of India University and Institute for Social and Economic Change respectively sujitpruseth@nls.ac.in, sachisatpathy@isec.ac.in
At this critical juncture President-elect Obama has to carve out a ‘new deal’ in terms of international joint mechanism to counter international terrorism as both the thriving democracies have been facing the scourge of extremism.
In earlier occasions and in this recent attack, Pakistan’s hand is evident from the very nature of terrorist strategies adopted.
This fact has indeed reflected in the policy of US that has recently recognised that equating an emerging India with a growingly dysfunctional Pakistan does not serve American interests.
This led to the commencement of what is called as a policy of “decoupling” US relations with India and Pakistan.
The close proximity between USA and India in various forms including recent two incidences such as signing historic Indo-US nuclear deal and President-elect Barack Obama’s pro-India stand in reference to terrorism and other related issues of fighting poverty have become unacceptable to these anti-India-USA elements and trying to show their frustration to destabilise these two most vibrant democracies of the world. In his letter in September to the Indian Prime Minister, Obama pointed out that “the recent bombings in Kabul remind us that we are both victims of terrorist attacks on our soil, and we share a common goal of defeating these forces of extremism”.
In fact a Democratic Party document entitled “Renewing America’s Promise” adopted at its convention in Denver eschews using the phrase “Global War on Terror” and focuses on “combating violent extremism”. The new US administration will have to re-craft its relations with India and Pakistan based on an objective assessment of the intrinsic value of each country to US interests. While the US will have to recognise that India is on the way to becoming a major Asian power, and Pakistan as a country in “serious crisis” and has become the heaven for producing militancy. This approach will definitely make the Obama regime being more responsive than in the past on Indian concerns on terrorism, by acting to ban groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Obama has, in fact, accused Pakistan of misusing funds for the war against terror and allegedly using it to fund militancy against India in one of his campaign speech. The past experiences on affairs in Indian neighbourhood the US have generally backed what India did in the interests of regional stability. There have been ample examples; like Reagan’s backing for the 1987 Indo- Sri Lanka Agreement and for our 1988 military intervention in the Maldives. This present hour of crisis also requires similar actions in Indian neighbourhood on breeding points of terrorism. Pakistan’s constant claim of being serious in clamping down terrorism activities from its soil has remained a hollow statement and it looks like Pakistan’s inability to handle these types of fundamentalist groups. As India has become the worst suffer of extremism in the region, it needs to convince Pakistan to help India in attacking terrorist camps in the Pakistan soil with international consensus.
Barack Obama even talked of launching unilateral strikes or hot pursuit across the Afghan border to hit al- Qaeda. That is the question quite a few in the region started asking. Even the next probable Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a sensational statement few days ago about Pakistan’s dangerous instability and its nuclear dimension. She even went to the extent of promising a drastic solution, just short of the demented idea of a forcible takeover of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
The attack on Mumbai has also reinforced the urgency of taking some non-conventional steps to eliminate terrorism without any trace.
India has to reach out all responsible nations towards crafting a pro-active anti-terrorist drive without delay. This shocking and most atrocious form of terrorism after 9/11 will also have policy ramifications for president-elect Barack Obama’s future foreign policy. The new US President will have to take an extra mile in enacting an Indo-US joint strategy to fight extremism. The policy has to be shifted to fighting terrorism in a new and concerted way with the active help of country like India in a leading position.
The authors are with Bangalore Based National Law School of India University and Institute for Social and Economic Change respectively sujitpruseth@nls.ac.in, sachisatpathy@isec.ac.in
posted by vaneet kundra at
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
2 Comments:
Dear Vaneet,
I'm sorry I may sound a little too foolish, impractical, lunatic and what not! The Nuclear threat from Pakistan is a bogey and is just a silly tool tool to blackmail India, the whole world and humanity! It is very easy to dis-arm Pakistan of its Nuclear threat if India, the USA and Isreal plan together on the tactics, mind you not strategy, for there is no time for it. This was the devine dream I had last night and I feel it shall work! Who will bell the cat?
Dear Cdr Khilari,
America has seen the double talk and double standards of Pakistan. After giving billions of dollars in aid to pakistan, America has got nothing in return. Israelis have died in mumbai terror attack in Nariman House. I see a great hope and likelihood of all 3, India, America & Israel coming together to fight pakistan. But no one knows when !
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