Remembering 9/11, the Indian way

Exactly eight years ago, I was working in the office. It was my first job in a media organisation which involved writing news from the press releases and also translating some stories. I was in the trade barely for two months having being joined the organisation in the month of June. Suddenly at about 7:30 PM, one of our reporters rose and said that something major has happened in US. 

(Image Courtesy National 9/11 Memorial)

When we turned on the TV, there were images of World Trade Centre being destroyed by two aeroplanes. The footage was so shocking that we could see TV presenters running out of their wit about the whole scene. That was how we experienced 9/11.

It goes without saying that the incident was a talking point for most of the evening. We discussed the impact of the destruction with whatever information we had at hand, through mostly TV channels only. Then the story was flashed by news agencies. Even though we were shocked that such kind of an attack took place on US ground, there was some sort of a evil pleasure within us. Each of us expressed that this was in a way a good thing because this way US will get to know the pinch of terrorism. That guess was turned out to be right in a sense. George W. Bush was the president of India. He reined in Pakistan and made it to adhere to his War on Terror. US forces, under the garb of NATO forces, entered Afghanistan and rid it free from Taliban. (Its recurrence is a different matter altogether and it is a relatively closer development.)

Whatever the percussion of that fateful incident, 9/11 was the most shocking incident in the history of US. But it is to the credit of that country that no such attack has taken place on that part of earth after that. This strikes out boldly when we put India's record of fighting against the menace. We are unable to confront terrorism. Old terrorists are portrayed as new innocent persons and so on. Just after 9/11, India was attacked twice in 2001. Since then there is hardly any calendar year when the country has not suffered any attack. Each year, there are at least two bomb blasts, incidents of firing or hostage drama. The leaders who were responsible for solving these problems are creating problems themselves.

That is why one must appreciate the spirit of US democracy. We may differ on its policy, we may not like its high-handedness in international politics, but we have to admit that the country has safeguarded its security interest very well. That is a mark of super power. This is what 9/11 reminds us.

Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama has given his first message on the national day. The statement released by White House in Mumbai quotes him, 

"As we pay tribute to loved ones, friends, fellow citizens, and all who died, we reaffirm our commitment to the ideas and ideals that united Americans in the aftermath of the attacks. We must apprehend all those who perpetrated these heinous crimes, seek justice for those who were killed, and defend against all threats to our national security. We must also recommit ourselves to our founding principles. September 11 reminds us that our fate as individuals is tied to that of our Nation. Our democracy is strengthened when we uphold the freedoms upon which our Nation was built: equality, justice, liberty, and democracy. These values exemplify the patriotism and sacrifice we commemorate today."

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The winner of Kremlin

Vladimir Putin, the outgoing president of the Russia, has once again registered a victory in the form of a stupendous success for his party United Russia, in the parliamentary elections of his country. The questions raised on the manner in which this triumph has come can easily be compensated off by Russian public as a whole with the achievements of the Putin in the last eight years in the office. These questions also, it might be pointed out, have been moved up only by some western countries, US being chief among them. The demand for an independent enquiry into the allegations of irregularities in electoral process put forward by the US gives only the hint of the extent to which it is wary of Putin.

By contrast, Putin has relished this victory with élan. He has not bothered himself with answering these demands and instead focusing on the future course of his action. Though he has exhibited joy in view of this victory, he has in his peculiar manner not gone overboard. He know his business well and he has just implied that he is going to do just that. Whether he will like to effect a change in the constitution and be a president for the third time, or will he wield his power by remaining behind the veil is to an open question. What one is sure of is that he has been rewarded for his spectacular accomplishment in bringing Russia to the brink of its former glory of a Superpower.

When Putin took charge of the presidency in from Boris Yeltsin, land of Russia was nothing more than chaos. People were forced to stand in queues for their daily meal and industry had came to a standstill. As if it was not enough, Russia’s position in the international community was also diminishing. Old friends like India were looking the other way in the garb of globalization and new allies were hard to come by. The economic reforms started by Yeltsin regime had severely affected Russia and people were suspicious of any new move in that direction. Topping the list was the problem of separatism and terrorism, especially in Chechnya.

V. Putin, as he is referred to in the Russian media, showed guts and resolve to solve many, if not all the problems facing his country. One can recount how he managed to face hostage crisis in Moscow and Beslan, even sacrificing some lives for the integrity of the nation. On the economic front, not all of the credit goes to him, but the fact remains that he has used his resources so well, that today Russia does not look so impoverished as it looked not long ago. Instances can be counted when he has looked eye to eye with US or any other western country and scored a point or two.

Here is one. Circa 2002. The then US Secretary of State is on Russia’s official visit. After two days of talks and meetings, he speaks all the good things and says, in the course of one of his briefings, that US does not want any country to help Iran. Within hours, Russia’s ministry of energy declares it will help Iran build a reactor at Bushehr for electricity generation. The only thing US could do was to issue a statement deploring this decision.

These and other aspects have made Mr. Putin a conqueror. He has won his battles from the days in the KGB. He won them in Kremlin. Now he has won the hearts of his fellow countryman. A great achievement indeed!

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Andhra's WhYSR?

The twin city of Hyderbad has been shocked second time whithin a span of three months. The twin blasts have taken a toll of more than 45 persons with casualties including women and children. The day of the blast coincided with the 100th day of the fateful bomb blast in Mecca Masjid in the older part of Hyderabad.On the same day, prior to these blasts, Andhra Police has seized fake currency worth Two Crores and 70 Lakhs Rupees. The feat, though reported widely in local media in Andhra, got rare place in the media form North, which deemed it more important to report the misforun of Salman Khan! I could have easily lost on these news items, but for the Telugu channels which I chanced upon to see on that day. All the media organs in Andhra Pradesh have dwelt on these two aspects relating them to the latest blasts.

People in Andhra Pradesh have more enraged now with the undue comments coming from none other than the Chief Minister of the State himself. Y. S. R. Reddy has been quoted as saying, "idi aantarjaatiy ugravaadam...Pak, Afghanisthanlo man nighu network vistarinchlem kadaa?" Reddy's comments have invited flak from the largest circulating daily in Telugu "Eenadu." The newspaper has compared his statement with the statement of George W. Bush immediately after the attack on World Trade Centre on 11 Sept. 2001. The paper describes YSR's statement as "this is the counterattack launched by CM in his unique style, the way he does after each attack." His statement has rubbed salt on the already wounded public psyche, says Eenadu. "The terrorist attacks happen even in Bangalore, Malegaon, London, Baghdad...," this is how YSR defended failure of the Intelligence organs in predicting and prohibiting the incident. Eenadu while commenting on this, says "how can the CM compare Hyderabad with Baghdad of Iraq, which is engulfed in the Civil War? How dare CM speak like this even when he knows there has been no terrorist strike on US soil after 9/11.

The AP govt. has categorized these blasts as an act aroused out of the frustration on the part of the terrorists. But, in the words of the paper, the blast occured on account of the failure of the government. The Andhra Pradesh is comparatively a poor state. It was at least peaceful in the tenure of then CM Chandrababu Naidu. The Naidu govt. succeded, to an extent, in minimalising the Naxalite activities. The Reddy government has failed to achieve anything substantial in any direction. It had announced an amneity for the naxalites within few days after coming to power. That has yet to bear any fruit till now. Last month, some seven policemen were killed during a Bandh called by Naxals. Reddy government has unnecessarily induldged itself in non-issues like giving lands in Tirupati to the missionaries, announcing reservation for Muslims...

That has really turned AP in Iraq.

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123 Agreement : Deal or no Deal?

The long awaited and negotiated Nuclear Agreement, dubbed 123 Agreement from the no. of section in the relevant US law, is finally now in place. It has been one of the most criticized deal in India, while in America it is sure to be find a place in the most debated of the agreements. The congress is yet to approve the final draft of the agreement but it is only a matter of the time for that to happen.
The time factor is the crucial issue in the affair between Indo-US deal. While the United Progressive Alliance government in India want to showcase this deal as the one significant foreign policy achievement before it goes to public for a renewed mandate next year, the George W. Bush administration in US also wants it to be finalised before the 2008 presidential election. The UPA government in lead by the Congress party that was in abyss for the eight years before it came to power. The erstwhile BJP led National Democratic Alliance government pursued some aggressive foreign policy, of which the Nuclear tests were a major part and cemented friendlier ties with US, both in Bill Clinton and George Bush regime. UPA needs something to counter that success and this deal provides the best chance for it to do so. Bush administration’s predicament in Iraq as well as its almost failure in the war against terrorism is evident to everybody now. The need for the administration to illustrate one aspect where it has reaped some gains assumed significance now. That explains why both sides want to ink the deal as soon as possible.
The speed with which both sides moved has been amply demonstrated in the statement by the Assistant Secretary of State Nicolas Burns, who was a key figure in the negotiations that led up to the finalization of the agreement. As Mr. Burns informed the mêlée, the negotiations lasted for about two years and two day. But, “First of all, we were very careful when we began these -- the latest phase of these negotiations to remind the Indian Government that since the President and Prime Minister had their two agreements of July '05 and March '06, something else had happened: The Congress had debated over six, seven months those agreements and the Congress has passed the Hyde Act. …. First, in late May, early June, the Indians came to us and said that they were ready to build a new state-of-the-art reprocessing facility that would be under IAEA safeguards and that any reprocessing of spent fuel would be done in conjunction with that new facility, fully safeguarded, fully transparent to the IAEA and to the United States and to the international community. That was a significant development in the negotiations.” It was clear from the above statement that the matter was settled in just two months when the Indian government agreed to set up a reprocessing facility which will go through the inspection of IATA.
Even as the nod from the Congress is awaited for this agreement, Mr. Burns has sent cat among pigeons by announcing that the right of return from this agreement remains, as imbibed in US laws with the reigning presidents. That effectively nullifies Indian diplomat’s claims that India’s national interests are well preserved in this deal. But the matter of the fact is that neither US nor India are keen to keep their interests intact. Bush administration, especially President Bush himself, wants to achieve a diplomatic milestone by bringing India into the Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty ambit. That will make the administration boast of an achievement denied by the misadventures elsewhere.
A more larger sphere of this agreement lies within the intention of the Bush administration to make them take a lesson from this agreement. The motive has been explicitly told by Burn himself in the same meet. “The agreement also sends an important message to nuclear outlaw regimes such as Iran. It sends a message that if you behave responsibly in regards to nonproliferation and you play by the rules, you will not be penalized, but will be invited to participate more fully in international nuclear trade. India has not proliferated, unlike North Korea in the past. India is willing to subject itself to full IAEA safeguards, unlike Iran today. And India has not violated its nuclear obligations, as Iran has and continues to do. Iran, of course, has reneged on its most important international commitments,” he told the media. Mark the word, ‘responsibly’ and ‘by the rules,’ where the inherent meaning echoes wishes of the US administrators. The message is clear and same that of five years ago: either you are with us or against US.
This agreement will also have a larger impact in another field. That of the nuclear trade. Indian nuclear program, civilian as well as strategic, was hitherto pursued independently by successive governments owing to the sanctions by US and Nuclear Suppliers Group. But this agreement will bring it closer in relation to US which means US companies will have a major role to play in the near future in India. Mr. Burns said, “The final benefit will be that American firms will be, for the first time in three decades, able to invest in India's nuclear industry. American companies have the finest nuclear technology in the world, and we are looking forward to American firms having the opportunity to bring their latest technology to the Indian market. We are confident that American companies will have equal access to this huge market and that they will succeed there.”
This agreement, which will bring US many fruits in just a stone. Indian government have inched forward to sign on this deal and for what price! Going by the confidence of US authorities and confidentiality preserved in the matter, it is all possible that Indian government will not be able to show off this agreement as an accomplishment, but rather a misdeed, committed in haste and repaid in stretches.

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Nancy Pelosi: Sky is the limit

That the American polity in general and American politics in particular is more mature than many other parts of the world is a fact few can deny. This maturity manifests itself time and again. The occasion of Nancy Pelosi taking the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives was such an occasion.

Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House who grabbed the gavel yesterday. She opened the 110th Congress with a beaming smile and a crowd of grandkids at her feet. I was more amazed at the way she spoke at the occasion and the outgoing leader of the house congratulating her and promising her the full cooperation. As the one who is accustomed to see bickering and heartburn each time there is a change in guard in the government or some unexpected results in elections, this smooth flow of political common sense left me amazed to say the least.

Everyone knew how Republicans tested defeat in the recent Congressional elections and forced President George W. Bush and his ilk to rethink their aggressive endeavors towards Irak. So it was widely expected that this tussle would reflect in the proceedings of the house. Though it is too early to guess whether that anticipation will come true or not, the start of the proceedings did not betray any inclination of that sort of the thing. The message Pelosi gave to her countrymen was more worthwhile enough.

"For these children, our children, and for all of America's children, the House will come to order," she said, "For our daughters and our granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling," said Pelosi (D-California.) "For our daughters and our granddaughters now, the sky is the limit," was her statement.

The promised era of bipartisanship began warmly, with former Majority Leader John Boehner calling the moment "historic" as he gave Pelosi the gavel and a hug. "My fellow Americans, whether you're a Republican, a Democrat or an independent, today is a cause for celebration," said Boehner (R-Ohio).

The new session also marked the first day back for Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is set to to push the limit Pelosi mentioned all the way to the White House. Glowing at the Democrats' takeover, the New York senator said her priority was making sure they do a good job. Mrs. Clinton also said it's up to the new Congress to show America it can work together. "We'll see now whether we can do it," she said.
Pelosi, even as she committed again to the most-open Congress in history, emphasized she'll move ahead swiftly on the Democrats' agenda - in the first 100 hours. That means there would be little time to involve Republicans. "Congress doesn't have two years or 200 days," Pelosi said.

I was more perplexed with the words while she issued a guised warning to President Bush on Iraq. Though in a low note voice that message was clear for Mr. Bush: Stay away from Iraq.
"It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets," were her exact words.
Ms Pelosi is one of 86 women set to serve in this Congress - the highest number in US history - although the institution remains overwhelmingly male. This is what BBC has to say in her profile : Mrs Pelosi succeeded Richard Gephardt, who stepped down after 13 years as House leader following his party's setbacks in the mid-term elections. A congresswoman from San Francisco, Mrs Pelosi had public commitments of support from more than half the House Democrats to beat off the challenges from Harold Ford and Marcy Kaptur. Her election brings a leading liberal voice to the leadership of the Democrats in the House.
She has pledged to take a more aggressive line in stressing her party's differences with the Republicans. During the mid-term elections and the congressional vote on the Iraqi war powers resolution, she opposed President Bush's policy, unlike many of her Democratic colleagues.
She fought the battle to become House leader from the strong position of Democratic whip in the House of Representatives, and enjoyed strong support from women members, liberals and the large number of representatives from her home state of California.

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