Samudra

Our good Colonel was telling us the other day that feelers were sent but New Delhi wouldn't respond.

Adux

Antimony,

The US over the years have a consistent National Agenda, even for Iraq war there was bipartisan support, what has happened ever since has got to do with a number of factors including the ineptness of GWB himself. American Foriegn Policy doenst change in a drastic level from Republican to Democratic. Its quite likely that the Democrats and Republicans have agreed upon some stuff they would consider of national importance and good. We dont have that.

Adux

It was too late when the feelers came, Its next to impossible to get anyone to join the WoT now. GWB squandered the tremendous goodwill he had among nations after 9/11

T_igger_cs_30

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FEAR NAUGHT

I don't work here ...I am an analyst!

Adux

Tigger,

Its best not go into that, his mutterings of the word crusade, his ill-advised jump into Iraq to complete disdain for international opinion : from an International prespective hampered quite a lot. Heck, even Canada wasnt ready for Iraq. But lets not beat dead horse again.

India at the aftermath of 9/11 if Pakistan wasnt involved as it rightly shouldnt have(evidence of which we are seeing now. An ISI Col send $30,000 to MohD Atta before 9/11 and training camps) India would have send in her soldiers. Not Now, America lost quite a bit of crediblity with the Iraq fiasco here and not tackling real terror promoters properly. We though still support Americans morally.

In my opinion terrorist nations Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

T_igger_cs_30

Adux

Diplomacy failed for the USA, GWB was at the for-front of that failure with his idiocracy and mutterings, he failed to keep all his allies as well as good-will generated on his side.

In short according to the International Community who thought of the goodwill of USA; the WoT lost its focus

Agnostic Muslim

Completely reasonable to expect the new government, that ran on the platform of being anti Musharraf and not a "US lackey", to attempt to make distinctions between its owm policy and that of Musharraf's. Whether that means there will be any significant change in cooperation with the US, it is too early to tell.

One of the failings of the past policy was a lack of ownership and support for the WoT amongst Pakistanis, and unless the GoP is able to sell to the Pakistani people the idea that it is not kowtowing to US demands this government will not see much success either.

The Bush admin. has taken the correct step of showing support for the new government:

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Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state to be ruled by priests with a divine mission - Jinnah

Ray

Is today the Anti Global Warming Day?

There was a news clip yesterday asking all to observe one hour of self imposed blackout i,e, be without electricity since it would help cool the planet etc..

I would have replied earlier, but we were having a 3 hour blackout, I am not aware if it was in response to this call or failure in the electricity grid.

India had offered troops for Afghanistan, but it was not accepted by the US to keep the Pakistani sensitivity in mind.

The current govt I am sure will demur, since their vpte bank is based on a sizeable number of Indian Moslem, who would not take it well if India fought against Moslems who had not attacked India!

The BJP led NDA (a right wing and others coalition) may have willingly joined in since the BJP is taken to be anti Moslem and ultra nationalist and pro US.

The unfortunate part about Indian polity is that national interest is not the major criteria. What is major is to ensure appeasement, dole out sops to the various pressure groups and ensure that the political party remains in power.

I find no reason why India cannot play a major role in the region and participate in Afghanistan. It only furthers India's interests as also, the Indian Army is ideally suited for the task since they have been battling these very terrorists for a long time and are very well versed in High Altitude Warfare.

India's expert presence would spur Pakistan to end the problem faster so that there is no reason for India to remain in Afghanistan.

At the same time, it must also be conceded that Musharraf against all sensibilities to the Moslem mindset has done the best that he could do under the circumstances even though it appears that he hunted with the hound and ran with the hare!

I will also be frank that India's entry into Afghanistan may also cause her problems in Kashmir, wherein the terrorists in NWFP, being under employed, could be unleashed there.

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"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

Cactus

Brig Ray,

India does have a role: It is a role under the UN umbrella; it has a shade I believe the Indian security establishment swore to always venture out under after IPKF-SL. Under the same umbrella it can fly in its aid-workers and reconstruction teams; further they can all be supplied on the same routes used by NATO troops - a route I belive that goes over Pakistan.

If Pakistan is going to the shambles, so would the supply routes. In that worst-case eventuality India's logical role would be to get the hell out of Dodge City before the lines are cut. India will have a much bigger mess on its immediate hands to worry about the $750 million investment in Afghanistan. Hopefully India has emergency arrangements with Russia and the CARs to exfil the aid- and reconstruction-workers, cuz' sure as hell they won't stan much chance piggybacking a NATO exfil effort. Smaller the Indian footprint, the better.

Now I am sure that was not the new role you expected to hear, but that is the lesson I draw from the story of the 15,000 Indians who went with General Elphinstone up the Khyber. At least Runjeet Singh had held the passes open, can you be that sure with the Paks?

kuku

I am one up for the day and lets forget the day month and year, a four hour blackout, in fact its a daily routine, Delhi is a green city indeed.


What is the status of Indian presence in that air base(tajik?) ?

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cheers

Adux

Sir,

Pakistan is an uncertain entity, and its not in the interest of anyone to go and pick up the pieces,

Adu

Dreadnought

Two small points the new "sherifs" should consider before saying too much.

1) 10 Billion a year in aid from the U.S. plus much disaster relief.
2) Who needs to bring an army in when you have UAV's armed with missles.
Dont think for a moment that if one of the two heads decide to poke their head out from under the rocks they live under it wont get blown off with a well directed missle shot. By the time the new "sherif's" figure it out it will be old news.

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Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

kuku

- The aid might be too tempting a thing to ignore, some reports suggest their economy is in trouble and becoming worse, that will be a bigger weapon with the USA.

- How many UAVs, how many missiles will you throw at the tribes in the mountains, you will have to finish the last one of them, and really if Al-Q is that visible in that area, just go ahead and finish them off, why wait?

Cactus

None of the three colored parts of the sentence have anything meaningful connecting each to the other parts; and all are ill-considered. If I were to treat it as three distinct questions, I would say:

a. As many as it takes to get the job done.

b. No, that is neither necessary not desirable. History proves that it is not necessary; the policies followed so far show that it is not desirable.

c. Whoever said that they were "that visible"? Strawman Argument.