[lbo-talk] Tacit foreign government support for Bush

[uvj at vsnl.com]

Marvin Gandall posted:

> In India, many analysts in New Delhi say the government of Prime Minister
> Manmohan Singh would quietly embrace a Bush victory, as it could lead to
> closer military and security ties between the nations. In recent months,
> Washington lifted sanctions barring the sale of certain dual-use
> technologies to Indian firms that were blacklisted after India's 1998
> nuclear tests.

This is a cosmetic gesture that means little in practical terms,
particularly wrt technology for generating nuclear power. US is not seen as
a reliable partner.

>Arms sales from the U.S. to India have surged.

I am not aware of any major weapon systems that India has acquired from the
US. 60-70% of the weapon systems are still bought from Russians. France is
another important supplier. Purchase of defense systems from Israel have
gone up. My impression is that the US arms sales to India are not
significant. Not yet.

>Indian
> analysts fear a Kerry administration could renew the Clinton
> administration's pressure for India to sign the nuclear nonproliferation
> treaty.

Yes, this is certainly the most important concern for the Indian state.

Ulhas