If you are Indian, then this is the most
interesting topic for you probably, as I have seen most of people obsessed with
how US agencies (spy), can do things in India. In fact if you were in India in
the 90's decade and anything goes wrong, Political statement would have come as
"This has foreign element in it". Funny is not it, how political
leaders, react to cover their in-competency?
But not many people know that, India was a
strategic location for Chinese Burma India Theater (CBI) front in Second World War. It was
in WW II when American soldiers came to India with lots of money and advance
weaponry systems. Moreover it was President Roosevelt who pushed Britain’s
Prime Minister Churchill for India’s Independence (partially), but when
Churchill threatened him with his resignation, he (Roosevelt) backed out. Also
US’s primary interest in India was to Aid China after Second World War. This
position of USA was only due to its principal opposition of Colonialism only.
India and America goes way back in 1940's.
But the real game Started just after the non alignment movement by Pt.Jawahar
lal Nehru, Sukarno, Gamal
Abdel Nasser, Kwame Nkrumah and Josip Broz Tito.
The Inclination of India towards Russian
Federation (then USSR) started when USSR backed the Claim of India over
Kashmir, and in year 1955 the Visit of PM of India to USSR and return Visit of
USSR's President Khrushchev
to India irked Prople’s Republic of China (PRC) and Pakistan. Moreover close
alignment of India and Russia was always a problem to USA. And this had
serious effects on Indo-American relationship. Moreover even as of day, India
is second biggest defense market to Russia.
Soon after the Independence India was busy
in its internal development and NAM while Pakistan took this opportunity and
joined West Bloc in 1954. Since USSR used this opportunity to back Indian claim
over Kashmir, The India- America relation became thorny due to both; backing of
Pakistan by USA and India-USSR closeness.
Soon the India China War erupted in 1962
and that was the breather for India as by that time US was trying to counter China
Strategically, and gave Support to India in order to Counter China, as She (America)
was inclined to stop the socialism from spreading and if India lost very badly
against China then it would be serious Blow to US interest in South Asia.
As in 1961-1963 President Kennedy said as
“Chinese
Communists have been moving ahead the last 10 years. India has been making some
progress, but if India does not succeed with her 450 million people, if she
can't make freedom work, then people around the world are going to determine,
particularly in the underdeveloped world, that the only way they can develop
their resources is through the Communist system.”
But soon after Kennedy, the relation went
back to the cold and thorny as a result of President Nixon’s close working
relationship with Pakistan and India’s then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s
Inclination towards USSR. To add to the chill, US not only supported openly in
1971 Indo-Pak ware but also deployed its aircraft carrier to attack Indian Army
base (according to recently declassified papers). Due to that the relation was
more of Hate than love and It remained like that till President Clinton came to
visit India in 2000.
IN 1998, when India did the nuclear test,
there was severe sanctions on India by US. But it has little effect on India as
at that point of time Indo – US trade only contributed around 2 % of overall
GDP of India. Moreover India was a growing economy and only JAPAN aided with US to impose
direct relationship with India.
But due to Economic reasons these
sanctions was lifted soon, but high tech was still out of Reach from India.
Meanwhile as usual Russia and India
maintained their close alignment in defense field and was also increasing it to
economic and other areas.
In 2000 President Clinton visited India,
and it was marked as a new era of working relationship with US. From 2000 to September
2001 the relation was neutral as both country was cautious about what to do.
But the after math of the 9/11 attacks
over world trade tower changes the perspective and by 2005, India was recognized
as the strategic partner of US. Both US secretary of Defense and Former US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton visited India to cut several deals of defense as well
as civilian nature.
The presidency of G.W.Bush II was marked
with its foreign policy to work with India and iron out the differences and to
increase the bilateral trade, which is as of now stands as 20 billion of
imports and 30 billion as export to US. In 2006 when Bush visited India, it was
a different season already.
The long winter of hatred had passed and
now was the spring of friendship. His initiative of nuclear deal was really a
tough thing to implement as it generated lot of resistance in India. But at the end the pact was signed and way was
clear to import nuclear materials for power plants.
Since the change in the Presidency of Bush
to Barak Obama, the whole affair has been stagnant or can be called as
maturing, as no special initiative was taken from Obama Administration to form a better working relationship with India.
Still while two nations are walking hand
in hand for the curb of terrorism, Human Trafficking and certain other issues.
It needs to noted that US still supplies Pakistan a Huge Aid , while that money has been routed to Extremist and used against India.
The though India and US has signed a pact
for sharing intelligence but the agencies lack the coordination and motive to
do that. The partial stand on the Islamic Extremist in Taliban and that of
Seria along with Stance on Tehran (Iran) has also created its difference
between two nations,
Moreover the Recent US slowdown, and
second attempt to raise the Debt ceiling has profound effect on New Delhi. Today
in this situation, the demand is of close collaboration and it is evident that both
could not do without each other.
At the end I could say that the story of
India – America started like a traditional Bollywood movie, first the hatred,
then attitude and then converted into friendship.
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