Monday, October 5, 2009

OBAMA VEERING TOWARDS NEUTRALITY ON ARUNACHAL PRADESH?

B.RAMAN



In my article of September 16,2009, titled "Obama Ducks Dalai Lama" available at
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers35/paper3418.html , I had reported as follows: "His Holiness is going ahead with his plans to visit Arunachal Pradesh in November, which could more or less coincide with Obama's visit to China. The US officials were reported to be worried that the Chinese anger over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh might come in the way of the success of Obama's promised efforts to persuade Beijing to resume its dialogue with His Holiness. It is not clear whether they gave any advice to His Holiness in this matter."


2. It is learnt that officials of the Obama Administration have stepped up pressure on the advisers of His Holiness to persuade the Dalai Lama not to raise any controversy over Arunachal Pradesh for the time being till he succeeds in persuading the Chinese to resume their dialogue with the representatives of His Holiness.


3. The Obama Administration is showing signs of greater sensitivity to the concerns and interests of China than those of India. Reliable reports indicate that it is veering towards a policy of neutrality on the issue of Arunachal Pradesh, which has been a major bone of contention between India and China. It is believed to be dragging its feet on the implementation of the understanding reached between the
preceding Bush Administration and the Govt. of India for the US Air Force to undertake searches in Arunachal Pradesh territory for US Air Force personnel, who were missing in action during the Second World War.


4. It is learnt that the formats of the joint exercices between the three wings of the Armed Forces of the two countries, which were agreed upon during the Bush Administration, are being reviewed in order to delete elements, which could cause concern to not only China, but also Pakistan--- such as joint exercises between the two armies in the Siachen area to enable US Army personnel to get exposed to high altitude conditions, joint naval exercises in the seas to the east of India etc.


5. While the Obama Administration wants to go ahead with the over-all format of the strategic relationship with India as laid down by the Bush Administration, it wants to have a second look at those aspects, which could cause concern to China.


6. There was one joint naval exercise off Japan involving ships of the navies of India, the US and Japan after Obama assumed office. Such exercises are likely to be avoided in future.


7. There is also a possibility of the US abstaining when the specific proposal for assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a flood control project in Arunachal Pradesh comes up for approval before the ADB.The ADB's Board of Governors had earlier this year, after Obama came to office, approved a basket of projects proposed by India despite opposition ftrom China. It is learnt that ADB officials have been saying that approval for the package as a whole did not mean approval of each individual item in the package and that each individual item has to be approved separately. Efforts are being made to scuttle ADB support for the individual proposal relating to Arunachal Pradesh.


8. The Obama Administration seems to be thinking that all that it needs to do to humour India and soften the blow due to its steady reversal of the pro-India policies initiated by the Bush Administration is to accord the honours of a State visit to Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh in November and play up the ceremonial honours accorded to him. In the last few days, officials of the US State Department have been briefing the media about the kind of honours which will be accorded to Dr.Manmohan Singh when he visits Washington. These are meant to show that there has been no change in the US policies towards India under the Obama Administration. The reality is that on every matter, which is of concern to India, greater attention is being paid to China's sensitivities and concerns. ( 5-10-09)


( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. He is also associated with the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )

3 comments:

Abhishek Datta Gupta said...

Dear Sir,
I am indian citizen. I have been a keen follower of your thoughts on this blog. I am deeply concerned with this reversal policy of US, as you have already mentioned.
The question I have in mind is - why does this US government appeasing everyone except India ? Don't we have any influence on the Obama government ? Be it nuclear deal or arunachal or terrorism - why are our aspirations not being taken seriously. Increasingly I believe now that we need to show some action atleast. Why can't we do what the israelis do when faced with terror. atleast some token terror camp busting to show that our country is not spineless ...

Brownian Motion said...

The plain and simple truth is that Indian leaders *are* easily pacified by a pure SHOW of "friendship", "respect" and "pomp" - little crumbs that are thrown at them while the US deals with more adult states like China and Russia and yes Iran on more reasonable terms. Indian leaders seem to think that influence is gained by being "reasonable" and doing things the "proper" and "legal" way. That's the way of a nation that doesn't know its strength. It's the teacher's pet - the "good boy" who earned the contempt of all others in the class. Something in the water of Delhi must have made India insistent upon letting HH The Dalai Lama visit Arunachal Pradesh. Now let's see if they develop last minute cold feet. What India has to show the world is that it is capable of serious mischief if it is ignored - only then will India matter. There is simply no other way.

openlight said...

Its ought to be.

USA is clear in its ambition and goal, it only relents to those who make it relent but who is already bowing before him (for BPO, outsourcing,nuclear deal) and does not react to any number of bombings / attacks on its soil or annexation of its land even by inches so, why should it even give a damn to India which has the worst foreign affairs ( or rather personnel affairs in foreign lands by indian babus)especially the sharmeil-sheikh, just proves that whatever power India may have but it is lead by spineless.

Regarding USA and china, USA is more concerned for its $$ which are now in hands of china