08-06-2008, 09:50 PM
<b>Left~write | Understanding the US-India nuclear deal</b>
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The real danger of this nuclear deal is not that it makes India a subordinate ally but that it formally recognises India as a legal nuclear weapons' state and provides the platform for a closer integration of the Indian nation-state and its economy with the global economy and power structure. <b>The danger is that India is turning into an imperialist state and being welcomed with open arms into that despicable club of global parasites and plunderers</b>. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> This simple truth is evident to almost all Leftists outside India who have pitched their opposition to the India-US nuclear deal on the issues of non-proliferation and denuclearisation. By opposing this nuclear deal on the grounds of national interest, <b>the Left in India stands in danger of becoming Left-nationalists and losing their internationalist and humanist moorings</b>. It is no mere accident that the scientists opposing the nuclear deal from the national interest standpoint were equally at ease with the fascist-nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as they were with the communist parties.
<b>It needs some introspection among us Leftists as to why India's missile tests, which are clearly meant for nuclear weapons, do not get criticised by the Left parties.</b> Globally the Left has been in the forefront of opposing the militarisation and nuclearisation of their own governments and states; why has India and its Communist Party been an exception? Is this also a symptom of the nationalisation of the Left? Why is it that the establishment of an Indian military base at Farkhor in Tajikistan with up to 14 MiG-29s and 500 military personnel has not got any comment from the Left? In fact, the history of this airbase is itself an example of how specious the supposed subordinate ally argument is. Farkhor used to be a Soviet era airbase which was subsequently taken over by the Tajik government which, after 2001's Nato foray into Central Asia, was almost handing over to the US. The Russians intervened, removed the Americans and got the Tajik's to offer this airbase to India on the promise that India will base Russian equipment there. For this deal, India gave 'aid' of $ 5 million to Tajikistan, which was but a feebly veiled bribe to its corrupt president. <b>Farkhor is two kilometres from the Afghan border and a shorter flying time to Islamabad than from the Ambala airbase of the India Air Force. It is shocking that there has not been one word on this from the Left in India.</b> Is it again 'national interest' which stops the Left in India from expressing opposition to India's expansion of military might? <b>Where will this defence of national interest end? Or are their no limits to defending national interest? Addressing and answering these and similar questions will define the very nature and trajectory of the Left movement in India</b>. Even if we do not speak, history is not going to remain silent.
<i>Despite spending much of his youth as an active communist, the writer managed to acquire a PhD in History. <b>He was a journalist with The Hindu newspaper and now works for an NGO in Delhi</b>, India</i>
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The real danger of this nuclear deal is not that it makes India a subordinate ally but that it formally recognises India as a legal nuclear weapons' state and provides the platform for a closer integration of the Indian nation-state and its economy with the global economy and power structure. <b>The danger is that India is turning into an imperialist state and being welcomed with open arms into that despicable club of global parasites and plunderers</b>. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> This simple truth is evident to almost all Leftists outside India who have pitched their opposition to the India-US nuclear deal on the issues of non-proliferation and denuclearisation. By opposing this nuclear deal on the grounds of national interest, <b>the Left in India stands in danger of becoming Left-nationalists and losing their internationalist and humanist moorings</b>. It is no mere accident that the scientists opposing the nuclear deal from the national interest standpoint were equally at ease with the fascist-nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as they were with the communist parties.<b>It needs some introspection among us Leftists as to why India's missile tests, which are clearly meant for nuclear weapons, do not get criticised by the Left parties.</b> Globally the Left has been in the forefront of opposing the militarisation and nuclearisation of their own governments and states; why has India and its Communist Party been an exception? Is this also a symptom of the nationalisation of the Left? Why is it that the establishment of an Indian military base at Farkhor in Tajikistan with up to 14 MiG-29s and 500 military personnel has not got any comment from the Left? In fact, the history of this airbase is itself an example of how specious the supposed subordinate ally argument is. Farkhor used to be a Soviet era airbase which was subsequently taken over by the Tajik government which, after 2001's Nato foray into Central Asia, was almost handing over to the US. The Russians intervened, removed the Americans and got the Tajik's to offer this airbase to India on the promise that India will base Russian equipment there. For this deal, India gave 'aid' of $ 5 million to Tajikistan, which was but a feebly veiled bribe to its corrupt president. <b>Farkhor is two kilometres from the Afghan border and a shorter flying time to Islamabad than from the Ambala airbase of the India Air Force. It is shocking that there has not been one word on this from the Left in India.</b> Is it again 'national interest' which stops the Left in India from expressing opposition to India's expansion of military might? <b>Where will this defence of national interest end? Or are their no limits to defending national interest? Addressing and answering these and similar questions will define the very nature and trajectory of the Left movement in India</b>. Even if we do not speak, history is not going to remain silent.
<i>Despite spending much of his youth as an active communist, the writer managed to acquire a PhD in History. <b>He was a journalist with The Hindu newspaper and now works for an NGO in Delhi</b>, India</i>
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