Partly Loaded
With the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in a sling just like visiting US defence secretary Robert Gates’ injured shoulder, the Bush administration’s focus has shifted to the business of doing business. And India seems willing. The political route to herald a special relationship has clearly proved tortuous, so the calculation is, the military road paved with defence contracts might be a straighter one for the moment. Gates’ high-level sales pitch was aimed at ensuring a level playing field for Washington, especially when India decides on the largest-ever contract for 126 aircraft—worth $10 billion—after the March 3 deadline for bids.
Bubbling just below the surface is the guilt factor.
Since India’s domestic politics is currently responsible for delaying the nuclear deal, there is growing talk in Washington of the “enormous political capital” President George Bush spent pushing the agreement through his own recalcitrant legislative system. Only to have it languish
in the bylanes of Delhi’s coalition politics. It would be nice if India were to make a gesture, which could be seen as a good return on Bush’s investment.
Signals from New Delhi too are on the same frequency, sources say. Indian interlocutors have literally invited the Americans to sell “some planes” to keep things smooth on the rising graph of bilateral relations. It suits the Indian armed forces too, who want to diversify vendors and balance the Russian dominance. To further soothe frayed nerves, India assured Gates that the long-hanging logistics agreement, and a communications agreement which allows transmission of classified information, would be signed before the year ends. The latter would prevent a situation like the one during the 2004 tsunami when Indian and US ships “didn’t know how to talk to each other”.
Courtesy: Outlook India
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