India-US Strategic News and Discussion

[UBanerjee]

India is the only country which allows such countries to openly penetrate and even influence people, election and policies. India allows foreigners to own newspapers, run propaganda wars, even do social engineering. We have even inside BR "Indians" are supporting these countries and their policies. They are trying to influence the Indians and changing their view of the west.

Hardly the only one.

[svinayak]

India is the only country which allows such countries to openly penetrate and even influence people, election and policies. India allows foreigners to own newspapers, run propaganda wars, even do social engineering. We have even inside BR "Indians" are supporting these countries and their policies. They are trying to influence the Indians and changing their view of the west.

Hardly the only one.

at least on social engineering

[Ravi Karumanchiri]

X-POSTED - Re: The Curious Case of Daood Gilani alias David Headley & co. (since edited, only on this thread)

^^^^Rakshaks,

It occurs to me – in light of the recent US Supreme Court ruling in ‘Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_U ... Commission that an opportunity has arisen for Rakshaks to hopefully influence the dynamic in the United States vis a vis Pakistan. The USSC ruling opened the door for non-profit organizations and even foreign interests to run election ads in the United States.

Imagine the potential impact if Americans saw a TV commercial that laid bare the full implications of America’s support for the TSP, including all the dirty business going on in Afghanistan, terrorist plots around the world, nuclear weapons proliferation, narco-trafficking, and the full-flavoured ugliness of the ISI, etc. Then the lines; “Why does Congressman/Senator/Presidential Candidate [insertname] continue to support military aid to Pakistan? Isn’t it time that America stops arming her enemies?........... This ad has been brought to you by ‘Indo-Americans for Peace and Security”.

As much as many of us (including me) here on BRF slog America for supporting the TSP – I can guarantee you that it only happens because the American public is handled like a crop of mushrooms – kept in the dark and fed sh_t.

I say, turn on the lights and give the American public the whole truth – it might just change the entire dynamic.

This can be done with or without official GoI involvement, and if the organizing body is a US-based 501c(3) non-profit organization, then the donor contributions to it will be tax deductible for US taxpayers. (In fact, it might be better done without GoI involvement, that way the GoI can say "..... non-state actors are doing it onlee.....".) Tee, hee, hee!!!

The message shouldn't be too hard to sell, in large part because it's true, and also because it doesn't call for the American taxpayer to spend money -- rather it asks them to save money that's currently spent on TSP-bound weapons.

I would suggest, to the greatest degree possible, to follow the example of arguably the most successful 'Political Action Committee' (PAC) in the United States -- the 'America-Israel Public Affairs Committee' (AIPAC), which sends out questionnaires to political candidates, and if they answer favourably, then AIPAC throws its support behind the candidate, and even helps organize donor events to raise funds. I know that Indo-Americans are already doing this kind of thing; but seemingly without an agenda that benefits India to the full extent that it should.

[RajeshA]

Ravi ji,

great suggestion!

[UBanerjee]

There is some simmering (and long overdue) angst against Pakistan after the Wikileaks release on Afghanistan. It has been intentionally downplayed.

There needs to be much more stuff highlighting the role Pakistan has played in creating the Taliban, undermining US operations in Afghanistan, proliferation of nuclear weapons to North Korea, and the other hideous fruits of this miserable nation. US elite may want to sweep it under the rug for whatever purposes, but the truth is a lever of power which may damage their ability to do so. Indian govt. does not conduct enough psy-ops of its own, even neglecting the obvious diplomatic avenues by which these points could be hammered home in a very public way.

[SaiK]

Code: Select all

India is the [b]only [/b]country which allows such countries to openly penetrate and even influence people, election and policies. India allows foreigners to own newspapers, run propaganda wars, even do social engineering. We have even inside BR "Indians" are supporting these countries and their policies. They are trying to influence the Indians and changing their view of the west.[/quote]

Hardly the only one.

at least on social engineering

It is going to be easy since our democracy is socially engineered setup. It is very easy to introduce a venom and choke the nerve points. OTOH, it would be very hard for them to penetrate if we find the right antidote at the right time.

Rather going abstract here, we should list down every aspect and analyze from there. Perhaps we can find multiple solutions.

[svinayak]

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Video ... palin.html

[svinayak]

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Video ... palin.html

'India's diversity is facinating'March 20, 2011Speaking exclusively with Koel Purie Rinchet, former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin shares her views on India

http://anotherblackconservative.blogspo ... india.html

[devesh]

^^^

Countries that deny that message of individual worth (& destiny) inevitably stifle their own advancement because the fire of human progress is spaked by the aspirations of ordinary men& women seeking a better life!

These simple “working class” aspirations for a good job, a home, a good education for our children are what motivate economic progress & positive change! Not bureaucrats! Not ‘Central Planners’! Not government decrees! Just hard-working women & men seeking the freedom to chart their own course & succeed by their own merits!

Palin knows what to say. but i'm weary of her being influenced by neocons. especially the rabid EJ neocons. it remains to be seen what her views are on that.

and the part about govt decrees being useless is very pertinent to India. in the face of a dhimmified political elite, it is up to the little man and families to get together and affect positive change. once a critical mass hits at the individual level, the political elite will be forced to change or they'll be kicked out if they don't change.

[CRamS]

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Video ... palin.html

The chuitiyas who invited her have no shame and no brains.

[devesh]

^^^ i wouldn't go that far CRamS. as long as Palin can be rescued from the trap of William Kristol, etc, there is still hope for her. although her presidential chances are slim, it remains to be seen if she has the same rabid hatred for Hindus that the EJ's do. regardless of how the media has portrayed her, i always got the impression that she didn't prescribe to the militant EJism and things like civilizing the "heathen" tribes, etc. she should be watched.

[CRamS]

^^^ i wouldn't go that far CRamS. as long as Palin can be rescued from the trap of William Kristol, etc, there is still hope for her. although her presidential chances are slim, it remains to be seen if she has the same rabid hatred for Hindus that the EJ's do. regardless of how the media has portrayed her, i always got the impression that she didn't prescribe to the militant EJism and things like civilizing the "heathen" tribes, etc. she should be watched.

Boss, she is an intellectual light wieght. Her main credentails are that she is white, attractive, a good mouthpiece to garner the attention of millions of middle class to lower midle class whites with her "us Vs them" propaganda, and above all, under the wraps of the very people you mention above that you are suspiscous of. If not for their support, she would be hunting bisons and flipping burgers in her thong for her latest boyfriend in Alaska.

[svinayak]

^^^ i wouldn't go that far CRamS. as long as Palin can be rescued from the trap of William Kristol, etc, there is still hope for her. although her presidential chances are slim, it remains to be seen if she has the same rabid hatred for Hindus that the EJ's do. regardless of how the media has portrayed her, i always got the impression that she didn't prescribe to the militant EJism and things like civilizing the "heathen" tribes, etc. she should be watched.

She represents the middle america and lot of people watch her and listens to what she speaks.
Her description of India shows Indins how distorted is the view of India is among this constituents. Indians have to study her and work on fixing the right image of India to this constituency as a Hindu nation. Hindus have to teach this group about our values and world view.

[devesh]

she is inexperienced, which makes her susceptible to pressure from neocons. also, she can't take pressure or virrulent pressure tactics from opposition, which is why she quit from governorship in Alaska. this makes her weak, and gives her a very slim chance for higher office. but as a public figure, there might still be the possibility that she doesn't have the same hatred for India and Hindus, that rabid EJ's do. there might be possibility for her to be positively influenced about India.

[svinayak]

Old article

Sarah Palin criticized for trip to India
08:38 AM
http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... -leader-/1
CAPTIONBy Craig Ruttle, AP
Presidential candidates, especially those who have been governors, sometimes take fact-finding trips overseas to help burnish their foreign policy credentials.

But Republican Sarah Palin's planned trip to India next month is being panned by the editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader, the largest newspaper in the state that holds the nation's first presidential primary.

In a blog post entitled "Palin going for the outsourced vote?," Andrew Cline writes that he has a hard time believing that "someone who makes a trip to India a higher priority than a trip to New Hampshire is a serious presidential candidate."

dregstudio need not be worried about Palin visit to India. In fact Sarah might take some Yoga classes or find some 'guru and come back enlightened. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts enjoyed India. Even Pamela Anderson made a short stint. Sarah Palin made a good decision. Indian politics needs some light moments.

[svinayak]

Old article

Sarah Palin criticized for trip to India
08:38 AM
http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... -leader-/1
CAPTIONBy Craig Ruttle, AP
Presidential candidates, especially those who have been governors, sometimes take fact-finding trips overseas to help burnish their foreign policy credentials.

But Republican Sarah Palin's planned trip to India next month is being panned by the editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader, the largest newspaper in the state that holds the nation's first presidential primary.

In a blog post entitled "Palin going for the outsourced vote?," Andrew Cline writes that he has a hard time believing that "someone who makes a trip to India a higher priority than a trip to New Hampshire is a serious presidential candidate."

dregstudio need not be worried about Palin visit to India. In fact Sarah might take some Yoga classes or find some 'guru and come back enlightened. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts enjoyed India. Even Pamela Anderson made a short stint. Sarah Palin made a good decision. Indian politics needs some light moments.

[ramana]

From RamN

LINK

DAILY NEWS & ANALYSIS

Evangelical Christianity: Devils in high places

Published: Sunday, Mar 27, 2011, 2:00 IST
By Yogesh Pawar | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

In his explosive new book The Armies Of God: A Study In Militant Christianity, British-born, Malaysia-based academic Iain Buchanan blows the lid off a subject that most scholars and journalists tend to shy away from: the rise of US evangelism as a force in global affairs.

His book looks at how some of the powerful evangelical outfits operate — often as US government proxies — in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and of course, India, and the disastrous effects this has had on the relationship between the Christian West and non-Christian cultures, religious communities and nations. He also unmasks the role played by the seemingly secular ‘success motivation’ industry, and its leadership gurus such as Zig Ziglar and Ken Blachard, who are not only management experts but also conscious agents of US-style Christian evangelism. Excerpts from an interview:

What led you to write this book?

I grew up in an agnostic family with respect for spirituality of all kinds — from animism to true Christianity. I suppose one of my strongest incentives for writing the book was to show how, in the West, inherently decent things like liberal secularism and Christian spirituality (no necessary conflict here!) are so deeply corrupted by political power and so dishonestly vaunted as marks of cultural superiority.

Not many would want to come out in the open and talk about the issues raised in your book. Was that a concern for you?

In the West, certainly, there is a reluctance to enquire too deeply into the affairs of organised Christianity — both at home and overseas. Western culture is a deeply, subliminally Christian culture, and even committed secularists have trouble avoiding Christian parameters in their arguments, and recognising the Christian capacity for wrong-doing. Among other things, this leads to a rather benign view of the behaviour of our missionaries overseas — fed partly by ignorance, and partly by a sense that the Christian mission can be equated with civilisation. And such myopia has increased dramatically over the past 40 years, as the secular West has managed to define a global order largely in its own terms, with decisive help from its Christian missionaries.By contrast, of course, the behaviour of non-Christians (especially Muslims) is scrutinised ruthlessly, misunderstood, and demonised.

Academics who have attempted to study the work of missionaries in India have been accused of helping the right-wing Hindutva brigade. Has this been your experience too?

The glib response to this would be to say that religious extremism of any kind needs to be exposed. But it is more complex than this. There is a need to go beyond the purely religious objection to Christian missionising, and examine the global forces which define it, and which are subverting countries like India in a far more comprehensive and profound way than most people realise.

A key contention of my book is that the extremism of Christian evangelicals is no more benign than the extremism found in non-Christian religious groups. Indeed, its local impact can be hugely destructive — precisely because of its ability to draw upon a vast global network of forces (including powerful secular ones), and its ability to penetrate and shape local forces, whether they be ethnic, religious, political, or social, according to alien priorities.

You speak at length of the US’s use of Christianity for it own geopolitical designs. Is this manifestly part of US strategy worldwide?

Most Western leaders (not just Bush and Blair) will claim they are inspired by their Christian beliefs. Sometimes, as with both Reagan and George W Bush, they quote chapter and verse in support of policy, although usually it is not so blatant. Certainly, deep in Washington, self-professedly Christian pressure groups (like the Fellowship Foundation and the Council for National Policy) have a highly influential membership and a powerful grip on policy.

Of course, one can debate whether US strategy is manifestly Christian in inspiration — few Americans would say it is not, although most would probably insist that such strategy is guided primarily by secular concerns.

But there is no doubt at all that US strategy makes deliberate (and somewhat cynical) use of Christian agencies in pursuit of foreign policy — and that the distinction between the religious and the secular is deliberately blurred in the process. There are over 600 US-based evangelical groups, some as big as large corporations, and between them they constitute a vast and highly organised network of global influence, purposefully targeting non-Christians, and connecting and subverting every sector of life in the process.

Most of the major evangelical corporations (like World Vision, Campus Crusade, Youth with a Mission, and Samaritan’s Purse) operate in partnership with the US government in its pursuit of foreign policy goals. World Vision, which is effectively an arm of the State Department, is perhaps the most notable example of this. There is also the benefit of a custom-built legislation, with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 providing necessary sanction to bring errant nations into line.

This means that evangelisation is an intensely secular pursuit, as well as a religious one. In turn, of course, the secular powers, whether they be departments of state or corporate businesses, find such evangelicals to be very effective partners.

Indeed, most missionaries are not obviously religious. A case in point is the Success Motivation industry.Many of the most popular ‘leadership gurus’ — Zig Ziglar, Paul Meyer, Os Hillman, Richard DeVos, John C. Maxwell, and Ken Blanchard, for example — are not just management experts, they are also evangelical Christians and conscious agents of US-style evangelisation. Conversely, groups which, on the face of it, are primarily religious, may also serve a powerful secular agenda, such as the collection of intelligence, the grooming of political or commercial elites, or the manipulation of local conflicts.

Some accuse the church of fomenting dissent among poor tribals by exploiting them; others say the church is a liberating force. This debate has gone on for decades in India’s North-East. What is your view?

The situation of India’s tribal people, like that of tribal people elsewhere in Asia, is certainly tragic. And it may be that Christian activity offers an opportunity to escape the various forms of homegrown oppression — state and corporate abuse, Hindu contempt, and so on. But Christianity in India is a very diverse thing. There are many situations where the Christian church has taken firm root, and is deeply involved in local administration, social welfare, education, and so on. Nagaland is a case in point. There are movements for tribal welfare elsewhere which are Christian-inspired and doing excellent work.

But there are many cases, too, of evangelical missions which go into tribal areas with little respect for local realities, and with an agenda far removed from tribal welfare. In this, they may be no better and no worse than the home-grown oppressor. But there is an important difference. Such missionaries often belong to an evangelical network whose strategic purpose is defined elsewhere, and which has little loyalty to the local population, its cultures, its communities, and its welfare, let alone to the nation as a whole. This is particularly true of the new breed of US-inspired evangelicals, led by Baptists and Pentecostalist/Charismatics, who have spearheaded evangelisation over the past 50 years. It is the working of this wider, and self-consciously global, structure of behaviour which is of concern.

It is unfortunate that missions doing good work in tribal areas have their efforts tarnished by others whose approach is more opportunistic and exploitative. For the new evangelicals, distaste for paganism is just part of the equation — oppressed tribal groups are a relatively easy target to penetrate in a much wider war against non-Christians generally, and for influence in strategic (especially border) areas. In this respect, even a relatively long-established Christian presence — as in Nagaland — has utility as a strategic outpost.

These are turbulent times for India as its number of hungry and poor are growing exponentially even as the wealthy in the cities are becoming billionaires. Does this make harvesting of souls easy? Do missionaries love turbulence?

It certainly seems, sometimes, that evangelicals thrive on suffering and disaster. India’s own KP Yohannan, for example, welcomed the tsunami of 2004 as “one of the greatest opportunities God has given us to share His love with people” — and he was only one of many expressing such sentiments. There is no question that many evangelicals exploit the poor and marginalised for reasons which have a lot to do with narrow theology and political self-interest, and relatively little to do with long-term practical help.

But evangelicals court the wealthy and the powerful of a society with equal passion. One of the most telling features of the new evangelism is the way it has turned Christianity into a force for protecting the rich and powerful. US Protestantism, in particular, has worked hard to undermine the impulse in the church towards social justice and reform. A measure of its success has been the defeat of Liberation Theology and the remarkable expansion of US Pentecostalism in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. More than a quarter of all Christians now belong to Pentecostalist and Charismatic churches.

In these, as in most new evangelical churches, great attention is paid to a ‘theology’ of economics which stresses individual profit, corporate obedience, the sanctity of making money, and the power of “miracles, signs, and wonders.”This ‘theology’ is a key part of modern imperialism: it offers something to both rich and poor, it is safely counter-revolutionary, and it ties tightly into the wider global network of more secular influences (in business, government, education, the media, the military) which underpins Western expansion.

So the evangelical church has a key role to play in a society as disparate as India’s. It is a form of social management: it gives divine sanction to the rich, it gives hope to the struggling middle class, and it cultivates discipline (and distraction) amongst the poor — and it does all this with a keen eye to the West’s self-interest. This is not to suggest that India does not have its own mechanisms for doing the same things. But such evangelisation, as a concomitant of Westernisation, is bound to strengthen as India urbanises and looks ever more Westwards.

A recent issue of the Texas-based magazine, Gospel For Asia, says: “The Indian sub-continent with one billion people, is a living example of what happens when Satan rules the entire culture... India is one vast purgatory in which millions of people .... are literally living a cosmic lie! Could Satan have devised a more perfect system for causing misery?” How and why does such propaganda work in a developed country like the US in the era of the Internet and the media?

There are two important points here. First, we must not assume that the ‘developed’ West is free from wilful ignorance. Indeed, wilful ignorance is often a very useful weapon. We need enemies, and, as religious people, we need demons. The utility of Islamophobia is a case in point.Besides, there’s a useful role for such bigotry within the system: as a foil for the liberal powerful to prove their liberal credentials.

But such attitudes are nothing new, of course. Christians have waged such ‘spiritual warfare’ against their enemies for centuries, and with the same kind of language. What is new is the vastly increased facility, offered by the electronic media, for fighting such a war. And this is the second point.

New technology is spreading, and hardening, such bigotry. Since the mid-1960s, the evangelical movement has systematically computerised its entire global operation, creating huge databases of information on its non-Christian enemies, centralising administration, and linking some 500 million ‘Christian computers’ worldwide for the purposes of fighting ‘spiritual warfare’ against non-believers in strategic places. And ‘spiritual warfare’, for the evangelical Christian movement, is not just a matter of prayers and metaphor: it is also, very decisively, a matter of ‘virtuous’ troops, tanks, and drones.

[Arjun]

^ Good article.

Quoting again a key part of the article which was not bolded-

But there is no doubt at all that US strategy makes deliberate (and somewhat cynical) use of Christian agencies in pursuit of foreign policy — and that the distinction between the religious and the secular is deliberately blurred in the process. There are over 600 US-based evangelical groups, some as big as large corporations, and between them they constitute a vast and highly organised network of global influence, purposefully targeting non-Christians, and connecting and subverting every sector of life in the process.

Most of the major evangelical corporations (like World Vision, Campus Crusade, Youth with a Mission, and Samaritan’s Purse) operate in partnership with the US government in its pursuit of foreign policy goals. World Vision, which is effectively an arm of the State Department, is perhaps the most notable example of this. There is also the benefit of a custom-built legislation, with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 providing necessary sanction to bring errant nations into line.

This means that evangelisation is an intensely secular pursuit, as well as a religious one. In turn, of course, the secular powers, whether they be departments of state or corporate businesses, find such evangelicals to be very effective partners.

Indeed, most missionaries are not obviously religious. A case in point is the Success Motivation industry.Many of the most popular ‘leadership gurus’ — Zig Ziglar, Paul Meyer, Os Hillman, Richard DeVos, John C. Maxwell, and Ken Blanchard, for example — are not just management experts, they are also evangelical Christians and conscious agents of US-style evangelisation. Conversely, groups which, on the face of it, are primarily religious, may also serve a powerful secular agenda, such as the collection of intelligence, the grooming of political or commercial elites, or the manipulation of local conflicts.

[sanjaykumar]

I am surprised to read this article in an Indian general news site.

When can we expect an examination of evangelism as a systematic abuse of human rights? I suggest intelligent people read the bible. It is the best defense against violation of human rights.

Mark twain said it with uncommon insight (for someone born to darkness):It is not the parts of the Bible that I don't understand that worry me, it is the parts that I do understand.


I heartily recommend Deuteronomy and that marvel of religion-Joshua.


Verily a delectable treat for the refined mind.

[Arjun]

I am surprised to read this article in an Indian general news site.

Daily News and Analysis (DNA) is quite different from the rest of DDM....very high quality and does not taken in by political correctness and platitudes like the others. R Jagannathan, the ex-editor was fabulous - and the new one, Aditya Sinha might be even better.

[merlin]

I am surprised to read this article in an Indian general news site.

Daily News and Analysis (DNA) is quite different from the rest of DDM....very high quality and does not taken in by political correctness and platitudes like the others. R Jagannathan, the ex-editor was fabulous - and the new one, Aditya Sinha might be even better.

Would not count on that. I subscribe to DNA and some of the articles are so biased, they put toilet and chindu to shame. My opinion is that this one got in when they weren't looking.

[Arjun]

Would not count on that. I subscribe to DNA and some of the articles are so biased, they put toilet and chindu to shame. My opinion is that this one got in when they weren't looking.

Don't know about the others they employ...but columns by Jagannathan and from the little that I have seen- of Aditya Sinha, are in the right direction.

[JE Menon]

Thanks for that merlin. Will keep an eye out. So far my impression of DNA has been that it is among the more "raw" ones - i.e. not too beholden to any one side...

[ArmenT]

More on the Tri-Valley saga from the pages of the Chronicle:
Little-Known Colleges Exploit Visa Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students
Looks like this Tri-Valley college was only the tip of the iceberg. University of Northern Virginia is using similar loopholes.

[merlin]

Thanks for that merlin. Will keep an eye out. So far my impression of DNA has been that it is among the more "raw" ones - i.e. not too beholden to any one side...

They stared out recently by blabbing to all that they did away with the edit pages. And promptly they have one today on the historic decision by MMS in inviting the Paki over to Mohali and how this match will increase bhaichara etc

As Paki as the rest of the them!

[Rony]

Iain Buchanan - 'Unholy Crusaders: The Role of Evangelicals in U.S. Imperialism'

http://vimeo.com/14966663

[abhishek_sharma]

Is Obama's trickiest challenge from his own military?

http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts ... n_military

[VinodTK]

Wargames fine but no more: India to US

[putnanja]

Wargames fine but no more: India to US

Looks like Mr Antony will be removed from the defence ministry in the next reshuffle Or might be packed off to Kerala if the UDF wins, as the CM. if not, he will probably be moved to some other ministry. Will also help in deciding MRCA winner

[Manny]

Iain Buchanan - 'Unholy Crusaders: The Role of Evangelicals in U.S. Imperialism'

http://vimeo.com/14966663

How Evangelists Invented 'Dravidian Christianity'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajiv-mal ... l#comments

Just wiki search for "blood Libel" and read the depravity of these buggers in how they invent history to persecute a very small tribe of people.. How this Goliath went after a very very tiny minority of Jewish people because they refused to convert. You think these buggers would not invent new history for their diabolical turpitude?

[abhishek_sharma]

Is America Addicted to War?

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... ted_to_war

[somnath]

Wargames fine but no more: India to US

Looks like Mr Antony will be removed from the defence ministry in the next reshuffle Or might be packed off to Kerala if the UDF wins, as the CM. if not, he will probably be moved to some other ministry. Will also help in deciding MRCA winner

Well, not sure about that..But it seems a who bouquet of issues are being clubbed into one here..For example, I havent yet understood why LSA is such a problem...If anything it enhances IN's reach, as US has many more refuelling stations arund the world than India, and Indian ships can extend their reach if they have seamless access to these facilities..

[ramana]

Its other way round. LSA means GOAT ships will refuel in India and that cause blow-back in India. It brings the war on terror into India. Right now we have paki terror. Very remote Indian naval ships in Caribbean Sea!

[somnath]

Its other way round. LSA means GOAT ships will refuel in India and that cause blow-back in India. It brings the war on terror into India. Right now we have paki terror. Very remote Indian naval ships in Caribbean Sea!

They are already doing that, as are we...LSA makes the process simpler for everyone concerned, by netting off the liabilities and settling one time in the year, thats all...At least thats my reading, unless there is something else to it...

And yes, India's interests as far as The Gulf of Hormuz and right up to Africa will be served by using American bases..Again, much of it is being done today, LSA makes it simpler..

[abhishek_sharma]

Exceptional And Unexceptional America

http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/a ... ca/173607/

[svinayak]

Its other way round. LSA means GOAT ships will refuel in India and that cause blow-back in India. It brings the war on terror into India. Right now we have paki terror. Very remote Indian naval ships in Caribbean Sea!

Also India is not ready. India needs much more sharper leadership for a full engagement with Uncle.

[somnath]

The US Entity list...

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... 42&idno=15

The only Indian orgs in the list now are those involved in the nuke weapons programme...

[somnath]

X-posting..

Not sure if this was posted here before..But George Perkovich on the complex Indo-US dynamics...

http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/ ... ations.pdf

Worth a full read..

[RajeshA]

X-posting..

Not sure if this was posted here before..But George Perkovich on the complex Indo-US dynamics...

http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/ ... ations.pdf

Worth a full read..

Basically Perkovich too is of the view, that USA cannot make India great, and ultimately it is the Indians that will decide India's strength. He too is of the view that our strategic interests diverge, even if we should be strengthening the "global order".

So basically India should stop playing poodle to USA, stop having expectations that USA would solve India's problems with respect to Pakistan, or China or any other issue!

It is time to leave the shadows of others, and to face the sun!

[abhishek_sharma]

Inspiring India

http://blogs.usembassy.gov/roemer/2011/ ... ing-india/

India has a long history of inspiring people. There is Gandhiji, who inspired a nation; there is Manmohan Singh, who from humble beginnings became Prime Minister; and there is India’s cricket team, ...

After MKG, the US Ambassador can only think of MMS ...

aur koi nahi mila?