This is a good thing, i think, with far reaching ramifications for the WOT, and global strategy contre china... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1155838,curpg-2.cms -- India, US sign defence pact CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2005 09:33:02 PM ] WASHINGTON: India and the United States have signed a 10-year defence relationship agreement that gives credence to the Bush administration's pledge to help India become a major world power in the 21st century. Hugely ambitious in its size and scope, the agreement envisages a broad range of joint activities, including collaborating in multinational operations "when it is in their common interest," (outside the peacekeeping domain), strengthening the capabilities of the two militaries to promote security and defeat terrorism, and enhancing capabilities to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Titled the "New Framework for the US-India Defense Relationship," and signed on Monday by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the agreement is vastly more expansive that the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP), which both sides concluded is too limited in its scope. The NFDR builds on the January 1995 Agreed Minute on Defense Relations between the two countries which had also run its course and needed an infusion of energy and political will, officials said. "Since then, changes in the international security environment have challenged our countries in ways unforeseen 10 years ago. Today, we agree on a new framework that builds on past successes, seizes new opportunities, and charts a course for the US-India defense relationship for the next 10 years," the signed document said. Some modest results flowing from the agreement will be apparent in the next few weeks and months, while other ambitious projections, which are more in the nature of statement of in10t, will take longer to fructify. In the immediate context, the two sides will sign an agreement on "Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation," that will result in closer cooperation in defense R&D. They will also sign a Letter of Acceptance on naval pilot training to ready Indian pilots to use the new aircraft carrier New Delhi is acquiring. Indian military officers will be stationed in the Pacific Command and Central Command for coordination. The US side has offered to advance the briefing on Patriot PAC-III system, pointing to its readiness to bring India up to speed on the latest technology (it had earlier offered the Patriot II system). But it is the long list of in10t laid out in the agreement that is staggering in its scope and latitude. It talks of increasing opportunities for technology transfer, collaboration, co-production, R&D, including collaboration relating to missile defense, with the implicit understanding that tech sanctions against India will be withdrawn. There is a pledge to "increase exchanges of intelligence." The framework agreement also envisages what is tantamount to the U.S and India jointly policing the world. Besides trengthening the ability of their respective militaries to respond quickly to disaster situations, including in combined operations, the two sides will assist in building worldwide capacity to conduct successful peacekeeping operations. This will involve training forces from other countries. The agreement does not preclude India's right to its independent views. Asked at a news conference at the end of his talks how he reconciled the US striving to maintain dominance in a unipolar world and India's vision of a multipolar world, Defense Minister Mukherjee said he didn't expect convergence or agreement on all issues at all times. One indication of that was evident in the US not raising the question of troops for Iraq, knowing India simply does not agree with it on the issue. Another official, when reminded of Mukherjee's implicit rejection yesterday of playing a subservient role to a unipolar US agenda, tapped the four-page agreement, smiled, and said, "This is the real deal...we have both put down what we want for the next decade. It's a partnership on mutually respectful terms." Indicative of New Delhi's broader goals is a paragraph in the agreement that talks of the two sides working "to conclude defence transactions, not solely as ends in and of themselves, but as a means to strengthen our countries' security, reinforce our strategic partnership, achieve greater interaction between our armed forces, and build greater understanding between our defence establishments."
better in recent years, but historically, they've been strained- India was an ally of Moscow for much of the cold war. the recently purchased a big new aircraft carrier from the russians which they're turning into a nuclear command center. their armamanet is mostly soviet/russian, their air force flys MIGs, for instance. this is a big shift.
How will this play with Pakistan? Our lone, "active" Islamic partner will be none too pleased; not with Musharraf barely keeping his government and populace in line as they are not overly fond, shall we say, of US policy. I don't think it's that wise to potentially alienate a strong Islamic ally.
Not necessary a big shift in ideology or perception, but rather more practical. India is a very fast growing country. Huge population assure cheap labor market, and English speaking makes them much easier to be accepted by the Western world. I notice that their policy is more flexible more, somehow in the same path as Chinese did when they first "opened their door" 20 some years ago. The relationship between India and China was once quite tense, but I guess both realized that there is no way that two countries with over a billion population sharing the same continent not working together. So all the talks and gestures has softened a lot recently. As a silly example, IT areas are full of Indian and Chinese, sometimes they make fun of each other, but they have to work together to get anything going. I think India made good moves - getting support from both US and Russia. If you can, you should always take advantages from anywhere you can. China totally wasted the opportunity to develop during the Cold War, by acting as enemies of both US and UdSSR. There were chances over chances, but the leadship was too busy with power struggles. Right now, China is getting weapons from Russia, and trying to use Airbus contracts to get some from European. I am sure if US wants to make that part of the money, they can sell lots of weapons to China, and trade deficit wouldn't even be a consideration. But my feeling is that, US posted too hard to against Communist, and painted China as a future enemy one way or the other, there is no way to yield from the current position. India and China wouldn't be close friends, because lots of issues, but will they be enemies? I don't think so. What for? Oil and water? By that definition, everyone should be enemy of everyone. By the same token, why would US and China be enemies forever? Capitalism against pseudo socialism/communism? That's a laugh. Mao prevented US and China worked together after the Nationalism was defeated, and now the bias and persception in US prevented them working together more closely in big issues. Propaganda or not, I don't think Chinese are very aggressive by nature, we are more frightened and selfish. Basically, we want a good life, as long as you don't bother me, I wouldn't want to offend you either. Look at South East Asia, Chinese have lots of power in economy in those countries, but do they have any say in politics? No. They are treated bad, and got punished every ten years, but somehow they managed to get their money back in the next ten years, still unwilling to participate in politics. Lots of Western countries participated in invasion of China in recent countries. If the history books I read were correct, Japan did the worse damage among them, Americans used part of the reparation to build the origine of one of the best Universities in China, not to mention those supports China got in WWII. Lots of times, personal agendas just put the whole country in bad situation. Nowadays, large countries are impossible to fight against each other, then why just drop the gloves and fake posture, and work together? Maybe I am just too naive.
You mean they're not doing that already? Seriously I would bet that several defense contractors' call centers are manned by Indians or even in India along with a lot of software. India and Indians role in IT is so pervasive I don't see how companies like Lockheed and Raytheon could not be subcontracting a lot of their software and back office stuff to India.
This is the elephant in the room that this agreement seems to totally ignore. While India has many foreign policy issues their hottests of hot button issues is Pakistan and vice versa. Traditionally we've been Pakistan's ally and even though we turned towards India in the late 90's we quickly embraced Pakistan as soon as 9/11 happened. Given Bush's Wilsonian rhetoric, India's rising economic power and now this a strongman like Musharraf must be feeling pretty uneasy. I'm guessing he's probably extremely thankful that they've still got nukes and that we're still trying to get Osama Bin Ladin and the Taliban otherwise the US and India might work to actively isolate him.
"Welcome to the Raytheon customer service center. Your call is important to us, and may be monitored for quality purposes. For English, press 1, por Espanol, oprima numero 2. Thank you, if you are calling because your Patriot Surface to Air Missile Battery is not properly acquring targets, press 1, if your Inertial Navigation System is malfunctioning, press 2, for all other inquiries, please stay on the line and someone will assist you momentarily."
It's not necessarily a big thing with Pakistan, because the Bush administration has been working to lure both India & Pakistan as America's allies in Asia. This is really why the US was very active in trying to push a peaceful settlement over Kashmir between the two sides. The U.S. doesn't want China to lure Pakistan on its side, they want both the Indians and the Pakistanis to be strong US allies. I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future a similar agreement was reached with the Pakistanis. I think there will be more restraints, however, on issues of technology sharing, etc. Pakistan still needs to make a strong commitment to non-proliferation of missile/nuclear technology.
I agree. Both sides have cooled down recently. Though tensions could renew, they both realize that the amount of resources wasted in their 50 year conflict could've been put to better use.
"Okay now, you boys got a good thing goin down there what with all this outsourcin bit.....question is...how long ya'll can keep it goin....yeah, hope ya'll aint got too comfortable with this whole business arrangement 'n all ya see....cause boy, that's all history now....haha.....if you wanna keep this whole gig goin, if you wanna keep the contracts uh comin....then this here side of the cricket bat's gonna have to be greased up too, ya see....yup boy, you're gonna have to pony up for some missiles.....hell these patriots don't work too great but somebody's gotta buy em and might as well be you...haha.....don't you worry i'm sure you'll scrounge up the money somewhere round there....ask your parliament or somethin....just tell em it's for defense...that one always works...haha"
