A sea route to northeast in the making
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India Disappoints the World
October 2, 2007: While much of the world has adopted a tough posture to the recent violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Burma, India's response was brief and carefully worded. The World's biggest democracy has disappointed the hearts of activists worldwide.
In a statement, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee
expressed hope that all sides will resolve their issues peacefully through dialogue,
and "all sections of people will be included in a broad-based process of
national reconciliation and political reform."
The statement disappointed human rights groups and many in Western countries
who want India to demonstrate regional leadership and nudge the military junta
toward real political reform.
An editer
of the Nation writes "So, now we know: India is not just the world's
largest democracy but also the most hypocritical."
Analysts in the Voice of America argue that India's policy, like that of many
other countries, is driven by realpolitik. International relations expert
former Major General Ashok
Mehta
says Western countries also work with military regimes in the pursuit of larger
security interests, such as the war against terrorism.
"You take the case of the United States, I am only giving one example.
[The] United States has strategic interests in areas bordering Pakistan, in
Afghanistan, and therefore, while it talks about restoration or revival of
democracy and human rights, there is very little it does to ensure that happens
there," he said.