The Hindu Business Line : US bullying tactics to the fore

No act of intrusive audacity within living memory comes anywhere near the brazenly worded communication directed at the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, by a group of seven US Congresspersons led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Tom Lantos.

They are upset at India on two grounds: The first concerns several individuals in the US ``allegedly conspiring with the Government of India...to illegally procure sensitive technology for India's ballistic missile programme...in contravention of US export control laws...'' The second arises out of India entering into an arrangement with Iran for Defence cooperation, including training of Iranian military personnel, and providing it ``with billions of dollars of revenue'' by executing agreements to buy from it both natural and liquefied gas.

While warning that `these ventures' could ``negatively affect'' US-India relations, in general, and approval by the Congress of the 123 Agreement, in particular, and subject India to US action under the Iran Sanctions Act, the Congresspersons also dare to `urge' the Prime Minister to ``cease illicit procurement activities in the US, sever military cooperation with Iran and terminate India's participation in the development of Iran's energy sector.''

There is something in the air of the US that makes it prone to flying off the handle at frequent intervals, especially when it confronts opinions counter to its self-centred notions.

That is what explains some of the immature and ill-judged excesses of its ruling establishments and its inability to shake off many of its paranoidal obsessions driving it, Quixote-like, to lunge at imaginary `axes of evil' and so on.

Lone ranger

9/11 has led to an aggravation of these bullying tendencies towards regimentation. The absence of any power to match the US in riches and strength has made things worse, leaving it free to strut on the world stage wearing the mantle of a `lone ranger', dispensing threats and blandishments alike with abandon, to enforce submission to its will.

The Prime Minister will only be encouraging further impudence on the part of the US law-makers by giving them a reply at his level. Instead, he should ask the Chairpersons of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on External Affairs (Dr Laxminarayan Pandey), Home Affairs (Ms Sushma Swaraj) and Energy (Gurudas Kamat), jointly to write to them, somewhat on these lines:

"Dear Congresspersons Lantos and others:

We are surprised at the tone and tenor of the contents of your letter addressed to India's Prime Minister. All we can say is that you have been ill-advised to take an overbearing attitude towards a sovereign nation every whit as entitled to protect its own interest as you consider your country to be. India certainly wants to foster friendly relations with the US but not at the cost of its right to determine and pursue policies consistent with its own enlightened world-view.

It has not won independence by waging a struggle on a profoundly ethical plane only to succumb to extraneous pressures and threats and deviate from what it considers right and proper. India is very well capable of judging persons, countries and affairs on its own, and is in no need of unsolicited counsel.

As regards the civilian nuclear cooperation, we urge you to go carefully through every word of the enclosed statement of Dr Singh made in the Rajya Sabha on August 17 in which he has spoken for the entire nation answering all your points in anticipation.

We expect the US to act like a genuine democracy that it claims to be, accommodating even those viewpoints that may be unpalatable to it but entertained in good faith by other nations."

B. S. RAGHAVAN

More Stories on : Politics | Foreign Relations | Offhand

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Fresh warning on climate change

Stronger rupee and exports

Macroeconomics behind the monetary policy

US bullying tactics to the fore

Shrugging it off, a la France

Corporates look for `business coach'

Lessons from the World Cup

Rural banking