Dawn of a New Era

This issue goes online at a critical juncture in India's security and foreign policy history. Two events will define Indian security policy for the foreseeable future. First, by tabling the findings of the Kargil Review Committee report in parliament, the Government of India has indicated, for the first time in 50 years, its willingness to provide greater transparency in defence policy-making. This unprecedented action is a manifestation of the government's sincerity to reforming Indian security policy-making.  The KRC report will be examined in greater detail in our next issue. Second and, at this point, more important, this issue coincides with the first ever visit by a sitting US president to India in twenty-two years. This trip is long overdue and could have achieved much had it been better thought out. President Clinton's visit to Pakistan in the absence of any apparent efforts to restore democracy serves no purpose. President Clinton's decision - after some initial hesitation - to legitimize Pakistan's new military regime is unfortunate. Public opinion in India is quite justifiably outraged. And accusations about the orchestrated nature of these protests notwithstanding, the outrage is genuine. They are a manifestation of the reduced public tolerance of the proxy war being inflicted on India by the military and ruling classes of Pakistan. Nevertheless, the president will be an honored guest, and will certainly be extended the very best that Indian hospitality has to offer. The visit has the potential to create tremendous goodwill, on both sides, and lay the foundation for sustained Indo-US engagement.

A vocal section of US foreign policy community continues to argue that it is in everyone's interests to keep Pakistan viable. Whatever the merits of this argument, the fact is that the survival of a terrorist state like Pakistan is neither in India's interest, nor in the interests of a peaceful and prosperous Central and South Asia. Rising Indian impatience is best understood as function of the inconvenience generated by terrorism and anger at the daily loss of Indian lives. To think that the nation will continue to bear restraint is the height of gullibility. There is a Yiddish saying, which is most appropriate in this context. "The fathers have eaten bitter grapes and the children teeth are set on edge". The US policy community misunderstands Indian patience as weakness. And each time a balancing act is carried out in this dyad, Indian patience is further eroded. It must be appreciated that the key to peace and prosperity in South and Central Asia is not Kashmir, it is the removal of Pakistani terrorism.

K.Chatterjee, D.Ramana & Matt Thundyil