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| India-Pakistan |
| Indo-U.S. dialogue on Pakistan? |
| 2003-04-19 |
| This is a long article but well worth a read. India has many good reasons to complain about apparent American double standards in the war against terrorism... But it needs the U.S. in making Pakistan adopt a new political course. THE UNITED States cannot force India into an engagement with Pakistan that it does not want. And New Delhi cannot engineer a change in Islamabad's behaviour without help from Washington. These two simple realities and their common stake in a moderate and modernising Pakistan demand a substantive conversation between the Indian Government and the Bush administration before a dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad could begin. If New Delhi and Washington do not arrive at a shared approach on Pakistan, it is inevitable that the subcontinent will drift towards a renewed military confrontation this summer. An important casualty of this confrontation could be the upward trend in Indo-U.S. relations that has been seen under the Bush administration. The Pakistan factor is once again clouding Indo-U.S. relations, amid growing frustrations in both New Delhi and Washington. In India, there is rising disenchantment at the American unwillingness or inability to deliver Pakistan on cross-border terrorism. This is compounded by renewed calls from Washington for a dialogue with Pakistan. New Delhi says it stood down in the military confrontation with Islamabad last summer following assurances from the highest level in Washington that the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, had promised to put an end to infiltration of terrorists on a permanent basis. Having failed to get Gen. Musharraf to keep his promise, the Government argues, the U.S. has no business to push India into an engagement with Pakistan. |
| Posted by:rg117 |
| #2 The road block might be the long common border with Afghanistan and Iran. If Washington is serious about crushing al-Qaeda et al and destabilizing Iran, it might continue to need Pakistan to launch cross border operations (Of course we all know this can't possibly be happening). |
| Posted by: Douglas De Bono 2003-04-19 13:02:30 |
| #1 I thought that as soon has Pakistan would have outlasted its usefulness, the US were going to switch alliance toward India - with closer Indon-Iraeli defense contract ties, joint aerial exercises, diplo warnings,... being indicative of behind the scene moves -. The reluctance to do so (apparently) is puzzling; it would be both necessary, and, frankly, more coherent to side with an imperfect, but real democracy in this mess. So, what's the roadblock? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-19 11:37:53 |