Post the rising temperatures in the Indo-China region, which frankly has nothing to do with the summer being here, the Pentagon has urged India and China to opt for “peaceful talks” to diffuse the current tension, instead of resorting to “coercive action” against each other.
While I am not here to talk about the Indo-China problem vis-a-vis Bhutan, which I plan to cover in a separate and more to-the-point article…so as to really look at what the Crouching tigers (India) and Hidden dragons (China) are hissing about; what I am interested in knowing is what gives the United States of America the moral right to poke its abnormally large nose into the Indian sub-continent.
Now, don’t get me wrong…I am all for peace and talks, as the first tool for diffusing tensions. What surprises me, however, is how a war-loving nation like the United States starts giving moral lectures on peace talks. Why did it not resort to bilateral talks when dealing with Iraq or why did it not think twice before dropping bombs inside Afghanistan. Why the hypocrisy and why the two diametrically opposite codes-of-conduct: one for the United States and one for the rest of the world?!?
Think about it — the entire economy of the United States of America catapulted to its present position…thanks to the World War II, where it was busy supplying weapons to the warring nations. Even today, when we talk about the arms trade or the supply of military technology, the United States of America rules the roost and is the biggest weapons exporter in the world.
In fact, the USA on several occasions, has actually been found guilty of inciting tensions so as to keep the arms trade flowing smoothly. Thus, when the Pentagon starts giving sermons on “peace” and “non-violence” to a nation that attained its very freedom on the principle of non-violence, it just makes me want to roll my eyes. I mean…Come on! Are we really going to let the United States of America tell us about peace. I mean…just how many times has India been found guilty of escalating violence? In fact, more often than not, we resort to violence only when we have to defend our sovereignty.
I am sure we all know that no country in the world (including India and China) would want a war to begin with. If that wasn’t the case, we’d all be at war all the time. [Which is certainly not the case!]
However, having said that…there comes a time when certain situations do arise that make it impossible to navigate the fine line between diplomacy and national interest. After all, how does one ensure peace if the other refuses to back-down. Are we to ask our soldiers to abandon their posts and surrender the country in the name of “peace”. If peace is to be gained at the cost of one’s motherland, the price of peace is too high. And the rest of the world would do well to remember…that we are a peace loving nation but we are not cowards!
