Is Might Right? - thoughts from an Indian perspective

I am not sure what this, rather badly written, dénouement aims to achieve. “Is Might Right?”. The answer is a rather emphatic YES.

Might has been, is and always will be RIGHT. History has proven this time and time again, Napoleon lost at Waterloo because the Duke of Wellington had a larger cavalry, the Sepoys lost the first war of Independence because the British Army was better trained, the Allies won WWII not because they were fighting an evil empire but because they had more ships, more men, more guns and more aircraft. The Soviet Union lost the cold war because the US was economically, militarily and diplomatically more powerful.

Will India “be RIGHT” if it pursues a known terrorist into a country harboring it? YES if and ONLY if India is economically, militarily and diplomatically “mightier”.

“If we do to so will NATO, U.N, an the other world community will support – not with airbase and military but atleast morally – us..”. One has to be amused at the naiveté of the author. The world stands together with the US, and “morals” have nothing to do with it. The US is the world’s superpower, and as Colin Powell puts it “you’re either with us or against us”. Nobody (not even Saddam) wants to be against the US and that’s why you find Musharraf risking his neck to do Dubya’s bidding.

To the victor belongs all the spoils, alas India is not in a position to go into Pakistan and drag Dawood to an Indian court or send him on his way to meet his Maker. If she were to do so, the resulting international outcry would be disastrous. The US would step very very hard on our country.. why? Because the US (and therefore the rest of the world) needs Pakistan and has to keep it happy.

Nations like individuals are driven by self-interest. The American economy requires that a quick military victory be achieved and the perpetrators be brought to justice. This will make Americans happy, and consumer confidence will rise, asset (Stocks, bonds etc.) prices will soon follow. Americans (and those living in America, myself included) will again feel wealthy and go out and buy some more completely un-needed junk, and all will be well. The pre-condition to all this: the capture and trial of Osama Bin-Laden and the destruction of Al-Qaeda. Without access to Pakistani airspace and/or bases this becomes an exceedingly difficult task, the US needs Pakistan and at this point will do what it takes to keep it on its side.

In the long run, the Indian economy is a far more attractive partner for American industry; hence the US (and the rest of the world) will gravitate towards India. However no Indian should expect the Americans to come down hard on Pakistan for promoting terrorism, and killing 35000 Indians over the past 15 years. Americans don’t care. Its not their citizens dying, its not their troops freezing in the heights of Kargil. The sad truth is Indian lives are dear only to us. American lives are dear to the whole world because America is the strongest nation on the planet.

The only way we can do anything about it is by becoming stronger (economically, militarily and diplomatically) than our enemies. And as Indians we owe it to our country, our fellow countrymen and ourselves.