 Print
America's New found Love for Demagogues
7-26-2023
“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” William Shakespeare
Nowhere this is more evident than this new love which seemed to have blossomed between the Unites States and India.
“For American presidents and policymakers, this poses a challenge; it is no longer enough to champion the ideals of liberal democracy and count on the rest of the world to follow. Lecturing any country, be it a global power like Russia or China or a regional power like Turkey or Saudi Arabia, can embolden autocratic tendencies; engagement can, at least sometimes, lead to further dialogue and space for diplomacy. Advancing American ideals requires being pragmatic and even accommodating when our democratic partners fall short of the mark — and humility about where the United States falls short, too.” The New York Times editorial on India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s visit to USA last month sums up the direction the world’s so-called only superpower, USA has decided to take.
The end of the “Cold-War” also marked the end of the “lackluster” the ideology of “democracy” that could be sold to the rest of the world by the western powers, especially the United States.
The fear of Communism had its own flavour, and it was to a degree a blessing in disguised for the U.S. Who knew that the end of communism which U.S. achieved with the help of Pakistan, would also mark the end of capitalism for the U.S. and the distribution of powers which the U.S. once thought it had a monopoly would also end abruptly with rising of so many other regional powers whom the U.S. would become dependent upon for its own survival. Forcing U.S. and other western countries to compromise on their most cherished ideology of democracy.
This was evident when last months India’s PM visited the U.S. India by no doubt the largest population in the world remains the largest democracy in the world. A democracy that has its own critics where in recent years its minorities that make up almost forty percent of its population, lead by the Muslims at twenty percent of these 1.4 billion nations, as the largest Muslim population in any country, fearing about their future and their fundamental human rights under non-Muslim leadership. However, diminishing human rights, and targeting of minorities is no longer a priority for the U.S.; its own survival is.
The fall of the USSR paved the way for many regional powers to blossom and India is no exception. U.S. intoxicated with its own superiority over rest of the world was blind-sided by emerging powers long-term goals and agenda now finds itself paralyzed by its dependent on regional powers for its own survival as China forces its way to replace the USSR as U.S. contender. Especially through its “Belt and Road” initiative, of sharing success, drawing the attention away from U.S. and the west with an imperialist history of enslaving nations.
India, now the fifth largest economy had its own plans which are now becoming evident as becoming the largest provider of skilled human resources. Especially, in the U.S. India’s diaspora is the largest and more influential than any in the history of U.S. of the 281 million migrants (people who live in a country where they were not born), 18 million are Indians. In the U.S. they hold key decision-making positions amongst the top leading IT corporations, including the Google.
However, India has a long-history of close-relationship and trading ties with Moscow since the cold-war, which its not about to forego for U.S. India also has a history of contested border disputes with the U.S. arch-rival in this new-world order China. India has become the most critical ally for the U.S. in this geopolitical warfare of the present day.
As America looks for an “alternative” to China for its supply-chain, labour issues and of course, to combat China’s expansion. Indian military depends on Russian made military and clearly wishes to stay clear being drawn into a conflict with China on U.S. behalf.
Meanwhile, as India becomes the largest populated country in the world at 1.4 billion population, it desperately needs U.S. corporations to expand operations in India and alleviate its rising unemployment issues.
When two are in “love” they must overlook each other shortcomings. This is precisely what the Unites States have certainly done so in their blind quest to curb China’s power. Ignore India’s abusive human rights record against its minorities that make-up almost forty percents of its population.
India’s north-east region, Manipur, is convulsed in ethnic violence and is teetering on brink of a civil war. A retired Indian military general, L Nishikanta Singh tweeted last week, "The state is now 'stateless', Life and property can be destroyed anytime by anyone just like in Libya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Syria etc."
For nearly two-months, clashes between the majority Meitei and Kuki communities have left more than 100 dead and over 400 wounded. Nearly 60,000 people have been displaced in some 350 camps. A scene compared with exodus during the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947. A force of some 40,000 military, paramilitary, police and other security agencies are trying to quell the clashes. Both communities accusing the security forces for being partisans. Nearly 200 churches and seventeen temples have been destroyed during the clashes. Homes of the local ministers and elected legislators have been burned to the ground. All sixteen districts are under security forces curfew, normal life has come to a halt, schools and internet services have been suspended.
"This is the darkest moment in Manipur's history," says Binalakshmi Nepram of Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace. "In two days [when the violence began], homes were burnt and people were lynched, burnt and tortured. Manipur has not seen this kind and type of violence in its modern history."
While India’s north-east region was burning, and under strict curfew, women, children, and elderly forced to leave homes for their own safety. U.S. President Mr. Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister, Mr. Modi were toasting champagne in Washington, D.C. to their newly discovered romance while standing on a tomb of democratic values and human rights.
Footnotes:
|