Salam, Dibawah ini adalah sebuah artikel dari koran The Jakarta Post edisi hari Sabtu, 29 Juni 2006 yang menyoroti tentang hubungan India dan AS ditengah memanasnya konflik di Timur Tengah yang tak kunjung reda.
Semoga bermanfaat. Regards, Ahmad Qisa'i http://qisai-politics.blogspot.com http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp? fileid=20060729.E03&irec=2 India, U.S. and the Mideast crisis Ahmad Qisa'i, Aligarh, India Terrorism is not a new threat in India. It has been around since its independence more than half a century ago. Various terror groups use various reasons and means in justifying their terror operations. But the most significant reason for these terrorist actions is political rather than religious. Kashmir, the northeastern region and Punjab are places where terrorist groups have been operating and voicing their discontent against the Indian government. Even though minority religious groups dominate these regions, they have political reasons for asserting their terrorist activities: independence from India. The threat from the Maoist (Naxalite) group is also very much apparent in India. Of these various terror threats, the threats in Punjab and the northeastern region have significantly subsided over the years, but Kashmir and Maoist militancy has been on the rise in the past few years. The government has been trying hard to curb and suppress the activities of these groups but it seems that the threats of terror are growing by the day. The most recent terrorist attacks in India occurred in Mumbai, Srinagar and Orissa two weeks ago. More than 200 people were killed in these attacks. The first two attacks in Mumbai and Srinagar were suspected to have been conducted by Kashmiri militants, while the attacks and killings in the villages in Orissa were conducted by the Naxalite group. It was against the backdrop of these recent attacks that the Indian government decided to seek international support in its fight against terror threats at home. India wanted the international community to isolate terrorists anywhere irrespective of the cause they are fighting for and the group or country they get support from. India urged the recent G-8 summit to issue a strong statement against terrorism. The result: The G-8 leaders stood by India and agreed to "undertake all necessary measures to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers, sponsors of terrorist acts and those who incited perpetrators". This was termed as a "major diplomatic gain" for India but the issue has gone well beyond Pakistan against whom India had intended to tighten international pressure. It means that India stands on a par with other nations in the fight against terrorism and all terror groups and their sponsors in the eyes of the U.S. and its allies. This newly found support from the world leaders for India's fight against terrorism at home, and its cozy relationship with Washington, proved to be too delicate for India's foreign policy in the Middle East. This "major diplomatic gain" has become a double-edged sword for India's foreign policy in the region. India has long been known for its staunch support for the Palestinian cause and has close relations with Iran and Syria, two countries widely perceived as traditional supporters of Hizbollah. At the same time, it has also opened diplomatic relations with Israel and is building closer relations with the Jewish state. Thus, when the current Middle East crisis erupted, India found itself in a complicated position. Even though the Indian government has strongly criticized Israel's "disproportionate retaliation" to the kidnapping of its two soldiers by Hizbollah, it is unable to unequivocally and strongly condemn Israel's military action to root out Hizbollah militants from Lebanon. Israel has breached international laws and the Geneva Convention by unlawfully entering and occupying the southern part of Lebanon, a sovereign and independent state. Israel has destroyed public infrastructure and killed hundreds of innocent civilians. Israel's military aggression, thus, deserves a strong and unequivocal condemnation from the international community and India should have done this regardless of any risk it might face. But the reluctance shown so far by PM Manmohan Singh's government will certainly bring additional criticism from its Leftist allies who already claim that New Delhi is increasingly aligning with Washington and not critical enough of Tel Aviv. At the same time, it would also affect India's non-aligned stature and its position in the region. Its relations with Iran have already been affected with Teheran calling off a gas supply agreement between the two countries. This could worsen further if India does not respond to the Middle East crisis quickly. Having good relations with Washington is beneficial in one sense but it can also be very delicate to handle. India's current position is an example of this. It has good relations with both Washington and countries in the Middle East but at the same time, it has to balance the two so as not to fall into the trap of unilateralism. Furthermore, if India still has ambitions of playing a major role internationally it must take corrective actions in the current crisis in the Middle East and must balance its national and international position so as to keep multilateralism intact. Failure to do so would not only bring down the government in New Delhi but would also put India on a par with Israel and other allies of Washington. The writer is a PhD student in political science at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. 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