The Stars, Stripes and the Indian Tricolour

The Indian social hierarchy is relatively well known. You have the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. There is another section of society, whose members are derivative from all three categories above. Meet the 'intellectual 'elite'. Right now, you're probably wondering why I emphasized the words intellectual and elite separately. Rightly so, for it is both grammatically inaccurate (which is unlike me) and mentally taxing, but bear with me for just a moment, because such people are neither 'intellectual', nor 'elite'.

Don’t get me wrong, this club comprises some of the most influential members of society and, to be sure, they have enough academic qualifications to use up all the letters in the alphabet twice over. Yet, they are frauds. Why? Because such people advocate policies and agendas that they claim to be in the national interest, yet (unsurprisingly) do no more than further their own agendas while creating chaos and confusion in administrative policy.

Since talk is cheap, now would be a good time to provide an example.

Manmohan Singh hailed his recent US trip as 'ground-breaking' and one that 'heralds a new era of cooperation' with the United States. President Bush agreed, stating “Today, we announce the completion of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership. Completing this partnership will help us further enhance our cooperation in the areas of civil nuclear, civil space and high-technology commerce”

Cooperation with the United States in the Nuclear and technological fields will increase as a direct result, while the Indian economy is said to grow by .7% every year due to increased FDI from American corporations. The Indian space program will also receive a helpful boost, by ferrying American payloads aboard its most prestigious mission, Chandrayaan-I. These bilateral talks also saw the opening of India's Arms market to certain defensive American military hardware, and the possible installation of an Indian Military Attaché in the US Navy’s Pacific Command. Both sides agreed to 'cooperate closely' to combat international terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Hell, they even agreed to help save the Bengal Tiger!

This is good news, right? After all, increased cooperation with the world's most powerful nation is good for India as a whole. It helps us gain access to the world’s largest economy, the most advanced technological industry and the most sophisticated R&D, space, nuclear and military facilities.

Wrong.

Apparently, this is bad news. Apparently, its is a violation of India's sovereignty, a violation of the CMP by the UPA and a mockery of 50 years of Indian foreign policy. These are the major gripes, but the list of apparent violations is endless.

Now would be a good time to examine the composition of the intellectual elite. They include, but are not limited to, communists, leaders of several tribal communities, peace activists, nuclear protestors and religious zealots. Why is this significant? To answer that one must examine what these parties have to lose by increased cooperation between India and the US. This is obvious in the case of the communists, nuclear protestors and peace activists.

What about the other two? Well, for increasing American FDI, India will have to revise certain laws entitling tribal minorities to quotas for jobs, thus reducing their influence as well as their affluence*. The US is hardly popular with many religious figures (yes that involves certain Christians and Hindus too) as they are frequently targets of surveillance and blacklists, accounting for their apprehension.

Now that we know why, let us examine if their claims have any merit.

I for one don’t see how India's sovereignty is violated. True, the Americans are helping us because they need a counter to China. If I know this, so do Indian planners, and in the past they haven’t allowed us to become lackeys of any nation, be it the USSR or the US. I doubt they've become so inept as to allow it now. But we need to counter-balance China. They are competing with us in every way, be it economically, militarily, in space and eventually for global resources. It is in India's self interest to counter China as much as it is in America's. Also, the US is giving us enough technology for us to develop our own indigenous industries. The PM put it best, “We are an independent power, we are not a client state, and we are not a supplicant. As two equal societies, we should explore together where there is convergence of interests and work together”

To delve into the CMP (common minimum programme) will require time and is as such, not suitable for this discussion. If you think I'm avoiding the issue on purpose, then feel free to objectively examine the CMP in light of the new agreements, and ask yourself whether any compromises have been made on that front. In my opinion, this agreement helps further the core principles of the CMP rather than hinder it.

Finally, we should examine 50 years Indian foreign policy, which I find mostly agreeable, barring some inconsistencies. This issue has been raised solely by the CPI and the CPI-M, that is, the communists. At one time, during the good old days of the Cold War, the communists used to toe Moscow's line. When China surpassed the USSR economically after the formers collapse, the communists shifted allegiance to China, and toe the Chinese line to the point of treachery. Would you follow a group who supported China in the 1962 war and who refer to Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim by their Chinese names? If so, perhaps you came across this blog by accident.

In effect, the PM's trip to the US has been a win-win situation for both sides. India gets access to and investment from the US, enhancing our economical, technological and strategic prowess, while the US gets our diplomatic support (or at least abstinence) in the UN and a possible ally in South Asia. If India is to be a world power which, make no mistake, is an imminent development of significance, it can only do so with the help of the United States. The yellow brick road to Beijing** is a poor substitute for the rainbow that leads to Washington, complete with its pot of gold.


* To discuss the (de)merits of Affirmative Action in India, send me an email, preferably one not questioning my parentage or the state of my mental health (though i appreciate your concern).

** Apologies if you think I've misused the Wizard of Oz reference.

*** I’d like to apologise for any errors in spelling and grammar.

- Mrinal Sharma.