India has renewed its bid for an axis with Washington and Israel to counter Pakistan, which Delhi describes as the hub of Islamic fundamentalism and international terrorism. The terminology being officially used for this proposed axis is rather innocuous - democratic alliance against terrorism.
While Washington's response is not known, this has created a storm in Indian politics itself, forcing the main opposition Congress party, which ruled India for its first 45 years of independence, to deplore the Hindu fundamentalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government for its "obsession with Israel" even at the cost of national interests.
India's national security adviser Brajesh Mishra outlined the proposal for a US-Israel-India axis against Islamic fundamentalism in Washington last Thursday. Mishra is perhaps the most trusted aide of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and served for several years as the head of the BJP's foreign affairs cell before the party came to power five years ago.
In an address to a meeting of the American Jewish Committee, Mishra argued that democratic countries that are the prime targets of international terrorism should form a "viable alliance" and develop multilateral mechanisms to counter the menace. He identified India, the US and Israel as countries fitting that description.
Sultan Shahin Asia Times May 12 2003
