HVK Archives: USA and Pak-China collusion
USA and Pak-China collusion - Organiser
Editorial
()
June 21, 1998
Title: USA and Pak-China collusion
Author: Editorial
Publication: Organiser
Date: June 21, 1998
World's leading industrial nations in the G-8 group, have
ultimately succumbed to US pressure and on June 12 adopted its
proposal to deny loans to India (and Pakistan) as a retaliatory
action against nuclear tests. Meeting at Lancaster House in
London, foreign ministers of US, Britain, France, Germany, Japan,
Canada, Italy and Russia decided to put economic pressure on
India although earlier, Russia, France, Britain and oven Germany
had declared themselves against sanctions. But their concurrence
to denial of loans, other than for humanitarian projects,
amounted a partial change in their stand and suggested intense
lobbying by USA. But most Indian observers do not feel surprised
over the G-8's stance, as they were apprehending such measures by
the rich nations of the northern hemisphere dominated by USA. In
fact USA had made a concerted bid for a joint action by the P-5
(USA, Britain, France, Russia and China) at Geneva in the first
week of June in what was a preliminary to the Security Council
resolution adopted later. The US focus all through has been on
Kashmir as it considers the dispute over it as a catalyst for the
arms race in India, ironically started, by itself in 1948. But
Russia did not oblige it while the US found China leaning on the
side of Pakistan. Thus the P-5 communique had only condemned
tests by India (and Pakistan) and pledged to cooperate closely to
prevent a nuclear arms race in South Asia. President Clinton and
his Secretary of State Madeline Albright, however, intensified
their efforts to secure the consent of Russia and China to
tougher measures. The result was the unanimous resolution by the
Security Council, refusing to recognise India (and Pakistan) as a
nuclear weapon state-a policy that USA has been pursuing all
these years to deny potential nuclear weapon states the status
due to them. Although China is guilty of violation of the NPT and
MTCR, in as much as it has colluded with Pakistan in the latter's
nuclear as well as missile technological development, USA has not
imposed any sanctions against it nor has it taken any steps to
prevent such collusion. President Clinton and his US
administration feign ignorance about this collusion just because
they know well. that China will not take it lying down and will
only expose chinks in USA's new Asia policy in which it does not
want to have a confrontation with China. This in a way is the
biggest failure of US policy in Asia as it treads on Indian toes
and threatens its security over looking the Pak-China collusion.
It looked upon straight in the eye, the US policy turns out to be
pro-Pakistan and pro-China but anti-India as the net adverse
effect of such a policy works against Indian geopolitical
interests in this region, although many in the US erroneously
believe that once problems between India and Pakistan are sorted
out, it will be easy to tackle China. The fact is China has its
own world view radically different from that of USA and while
cooperating with the latter, the Chinese are not likely to
sacrifice their long-term geo-political interests. A detente
between India and Pakistan in that sense is not quite the aim of
China. The point is that both US and Pakistan are pursuing their
own agendas even while seemingly cooperating with one another and
are not in a position to act decisively in this region. India
can take advantage of this situation by diplomacy while pursuing
it national goals. It cannot ignore strategic developments in
its periphery especially because of a recalcitrant Pakistan bent
on pursuing its anti-India policy. Since it is unable to achieve
its goal of grabbing Kashmir on its own, it is now trying to
internationalise the issue. India has therefore sharpened its
diplomatic offensive the positive results of which are beginning
to show.
Back
Top
|
