Comments on: Three-ring circus

By: KXB

KXB — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:35:50 +0000

While the communists of India charge Bush with being a warmonger in the Middle East, their own well-armed groups seem to be keeping themselves busy:

Maoists massacre 25 ahead of Bush's visit to India

"This month alone the rebels have killed 19 security officials and more than a dozen residents in Dantewada district. Officials said that around 100 people died in 2005 in Maoist violence in Chattisgarh, one of India's newest states."

Stratfor has their own take on the Bush trip: The U.S. President's Risky Trip to India

"However, the tight security surrounding the president could force the perpetrators to target a location other than New Delhi or Hyderabad, Bush's two destinations, in an effort to exploit the international media coverage generated by the visit."

By: Kush Tandon

Kush Tandon — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:33:01 +0000

Guys,

Cynical Nerd's blog has covered US-India nuclear deal and its history in great detail with different angles. Do visit.

By: RC

RC — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:25:55 +0000

Regarding the whole Nuclear thing, my money is on NO DEAL. The US will not accept any concessions and Indians will not give more concessions than they have already offered, as the N-scientist community is already upset by parts of the deal.

If, Indian N-scientists do some kind of break thru' with regards to Thorium, some time in future, that will completely change the equation. As after 1998 N-tests the West found out that India EXISTS, the same way if a major Thorium type development occured in India, West will start talking concessions. The only language understood is that of POWER.

By: Guru Gulab Khatri

Guru Gulab Khatri — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:00:09 +0000

I did catch charlie rose interviewing ManMohan Singh. His interview with rose when he was in nyc was more informative on most issues(including indias nuclear position). ManMohan sticks to one line and tends to repeat it, even when probed into anything he wouldnt explain the position any better nor would reveal any other insight into facts/logic regarding the position. He did that on issues regarding china and iran. So in all i didnt really learn anthing new here. He did hint that he would be pushing for security council seat. If you read between the lines he may be hinting at more! but so far it hasnt been ManMohan’s style, but Krishn is also knowns as ManMohan It is a possibility that he is hinting that more can be done on issues, but deals are asymetric. In that case the hints may be:- Fine we drop iran pipeline but at what are we getting in return? Fine we’ll be a dick wrt china but what are we getting in return?

The nuclear deal benifits both parties almost symetricaly. India gets energy which itself shields india from price swings but the US as well b/c india is a growing consumer. here is where the asymetry is? US desire to see intensive separation and its behind the scene china demands are where asymetry shows up. if US wants india as a counterweight then why separation. Chinese are not bound by any such separations. chinese arsenal is larger varied and more sophisticated. So the hints are give us more and we give you more.

By: Expose

Expose — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 17:30:25 +0000

Sepia Keepers:

May I paste [entire text] an interesting [Nuke deal] piece from the Wall Street Journal? Needs subscription...

By: sam

sam — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 17:16:58 +0000

The whole world apparently looks after itself, except Indian Communists, Socialists and Secularists.

Oh you forgot to include radical Indian Muslims as well. They don't care that India gains a lot from its new friendship/alignment with US. They don't care that Indians prosper because of a services export boom to the US. Their aspirations are just not in sync with the rest of Indians. They too are more concerned about their Muslim brothers in faraway lands. They blindly ignore how generous America has been in helping the majority Muslim victims of the earthquake in Pakistan, tsunami in Indonesia, the war crimes in Bosnia. Bunch of ingrates. They don't care that right after 9/11 and ever since Bush has called Islam a religion of peace and a great one to preempt any backlash in the West.

By: hammer_sickel

hammer_sickel — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:46:56 +0000

Najeeb, I agree that there certainly is 'arm-twisting' by US (e.g. its a $100 billion business for American nuclear companies). But the point here is that the communists would not have reacted differently even if there was no Iraq war, the Iran issue etc.

By: blue_mountain

blue_mountain — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:26:17 +0000

No amount of arm-twisting could make India abandon it's suicidal mixed economy approach (actually mixed up with licence-permit Raj and stifling private capital as J.R.D Tata emphasized)and allignment with Soviet block. India's ruling elite got a rude shock when the government went bankrupt in 1991.

As Sunanda K. Datta Ray said recently

... To that extent, IndiaÂ’s interest is AmericaÂ’s, and the worldÂ’s largest and oldest democracies are indeed natural allies, to repeat that overworked clichÃ©.

By: AK

AK — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:00:40 +0000

I wonder if President Bush makes similar requests when he flies to France?

Heh heh. What a great setup.

Answer 1: No, he just makes them change the names of all of their food. Answer 2: Please don't give him any ideas. Answer 3: ....

By: najeeb

najeeb — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:44:05 +0000

As usual, bring in the communist factor and we can end the discussion. I am not so naive to think that there isn’t any arm-twisting going on here in terms of what U.S wants India to do.