[P]roblem states get deference, offers of dialogue, pushes for American recognition in those all-important international fora, and not infrequently, large gobs of American money. They also get American rhetorical help with states that can make problems worse. If you’ve been paying attention lately, you know that usually means India and Israel.
President Bush was known, in some circles, for rhetorically linking Israel and India, and with good reason: Both are functioning democracies with enemies and potential enemies all around; both are nuclear powers; both face threats from explicitly Muslim powers and Islamic terrorism; both are – especially with attention to the latter by two American presidents – allies or potential allies abroad; and both can serve as useful counterweights to unfriendly, rising regional hegemons, like, say, Iran and China. Unfortunately, they make what the Obama Administration perceives as problems worse.
Read the whole thing.
We had this discussion a number of months ago-India is a natural ally of the US and is so so important to our interests in Asia specifically and worlwide economically. It really doesn’t make any sense for us to ignore them.
You misunderstand dch. Whoever is the enemy of United State under George W. Bush shall be welcome with open arms. Whoever is our friends during that regime shall be scorned. Obama is only fulfilling his promise.
It’d be easy to consider BigFire’s comment as hyperbole.
Easy, and wrong.
I don’t know, BD57, but the Obama Administration sure is acting like BigFire is correct.
If only there was some reason why India wasn’t quickly embraced.
After all, when their blood enemy is facing both security and economic collapse, and both nations are known to blame everything on each other, why couldn’t the very best thing in the world be to rapidly embrace India? Surely there would be no repercussions in a country that doesn’t really like us, and doesn’t like them even more.
Yup, surely the best thing in the world, that would not have caused any tensions at all in a country we are regularly sending drone attacks into, is to rapidly embrace a country they spent many (of our) billions of our dollars preparing to fight against.
Yup, it would not have made any difference to the population of Pakistan as a whole – which would not have made any judgement on our actions. (If you’re curious, I’ve lived in India and spent a bit of time in Pakistan. )
“Because this is a President who only believes in action against barely-armed eighteen year-old Somali pirates”
Insightful arguments there Crank. Hey, any port in a storm.