Al Wafd, p.14, (4-1-2007)

The Indian elephant runs!

By: Gamil Matar

In Washington these days, it is common to hear the words: “India, the natural ally of the US.” It is noticeable as the US Congress is getting ready to pass a legislation enhancing cooperation and political, military and economic partnership between the US and India. At the same time, the new Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares that the most important bilateral relation in the world is currently being established between Japan and India. As far as I know about the Japanese leaders and people, this statement is very important as the Japanese do not tend to exaggerate things, specially when it comes to their foreign policy and economic practices. So, I take this statement seriously, specially as it concurs with important developments in the US-India relations and the US diplomatic media campaign promoting a new grouping in Asia based on India and Japan, the largest two democracies in Asia.

We know that India has made wide leaps since it developed interest in producing nuclear fuel and then nuclear weapons. This interest created self-confidence, which, in turn, helped unleash the Indian human powers and urged many Indians abroad to return home carrying huge experience and wealth. All that achieved an accelerated growth, with rates almost second to those achieved by the economic growth of China. Yet, we should deal cautiously with the western reports on growth and development in India. The US is interested in magnifying the Indian achievements for comprehensible reasons relating to the balance of powers in Asia and the ideology of free economy in the world.

We also know that when India became independent from the British Empire, its leaders were dreaming of India becoming a superpower. The Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s role in leading the NAM indirectly expressed this intention. At this dream, I think, the US and India converge. The leaders of the US independence were not less aware of the US future as a superpower. We should not forget that the Indians under colonization realized that they were the most important element of power to the British Empire and that without India; Britain would not have been on the top of the European empires. They also realized that it is the Indian soldiers in the empire who stopped the advance of the Japanese forces during World War II. What is new is that nowadays American writers speak about the role of the Indian soldiers in the war against Japan and they are keen to add the words: “under western leadership.” This, in my opinion, is very significant to the future of military relations between the US and India.

I think the Indian politicians have read the American political mindset and realised the US ambitions in Asia. They must have studied well the US political system and the means to get in and dwell there. On the other hand, I think the US politicians have realised India’s importance and ambitions in Asia making preparations to that day when India would be of supreme significance for the US. This significance, I think, has many aspects including the following:

First, the competition between India and China: India gained independence in 1947 keeping a watchful eye on China while China was doing the same. They are destined to compete. This view is also adopted by Ashley Tellis, a researcher at US institution Carnegie. In the 1970s, the US paid more attention to China, rather than India. This is due to the fact that it had problems in Vietnam and needed help from China. Now, as China has emerged with a huge budget for armament and extensive international relations, it has become imperative for the US to qualify India economically, politically and militarily to act as a counterbalance to China in Asia.

Second, India enjoys a strategic location making it Asia’s most capable country of protecting vital waterways of the oil flow in the Gulf region and around the Arab Sea and the Indian Ocean. On the other hand, India neighbours the world’s hottest region, the one where the so-called “terrorism” or “Islamic fascism” dwells, as the Americans claim. India is considered by some the world’s most considerate to the US feelings about this “threat” as India, according to them, has suffered from terrorism with more victims than any other country in the world. In this way, the US media and a large part of the Indian media depicts the US-India relations, or the so-called the “natural alliance”. It drew my attention that India is considered by some in the US as the one who broke the trade monopoly of the Islamic world in the 15^th century when the rulers of India at that time agreed to Portugal’s demand of using Goa, west of India, as a trade station.

Third, India occupies a high position on the list of US far right concerns. India has a democratic regime and a free economy. This model has no match in Asia, but for in Japan. The objective of India achieving success and progress and of encouraging it to have influence in South Asia is considered by the US a means that can, and should, serve the US interests and ideological concerns.

Fourth, India is a nuclear country, a country that can partially impose its will on its neighbours, or at least one that can reject fulfilling the will of other countries if they contradict its interests. This is in harmony with the US plans to check the continual rise of China. India has the world’s largest army of volunteers, which means that it is able to act as a counterbalance to the rising Chinese power and to carry out the task of intervening in the affairs of the “failed neighbouring countries” in the name of fighting terrorism or opposing foreign influence, i.e., the Chinese influence.

It is said that the Dragon, i.e., China, has been expanding and advancing very fast supporting countries within India’s sphere of influence. Today, China supplies Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh with weapons and infrastructure. It built a railway line to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet in the middle of China. There are several land roads to Nepal. This series of Chinese facilities can be called “a pearl necklace around the neck of India”. It is not there to express longing and love. I do not think the US and India are happy with it or appreciate China this costly necklace.

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