People's Democracy

US Elections & India’s Stand

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on November 5, 2004.

THE re-election of George Bush as president of the United States of America portends a continuation of the aggressive and unilateralist approach to international relations. In the past four years, the Bush administration had waged war on the sovereign state of Iraq and occupied it. It posted US military forces around the world in the name of fighting global terrorism. Neither did Iraq possess weapons of mass destruction nor was it linked to the Al Qaeda. The United States under the Bush presidency has shown contempt for the United Nations and international laws.

In the present situation, all efforts must be made to check the harmful course adopted by the Bush administration.

The relations between India and the United States should be governed by mutual interest and equality. The fight against terrorism, which is of direct relevance to our country, cannot be a tool for the hegemonistic ambitions of the US.

In this context, some of the views expressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his letter congratulating President Bush cause concern. To state that the global war against terrorism benefited enormously from Bush’s steadfast resolve and leadership is contrary to all facts and evidence. It can be validly asked whether terrorism has been eliminated or strengthened by Bush’s invasion of Iraq.

There is a widespread consensus in India that we should not subscribe to Bush’s self-serving war on terrorism. To assert, therefore, that we are “partners against terrorism” without qualification, is unwise.

The call for “a larger and more ambitious agenda for broader strategic cooperation” has been given without looking carefully at the policy stances which will be adopted by the second Bush administration. It would be prudent for the advisers to the prime minister to base themselves on the foreign policy formulations contained in the Common Minimum Programme.