People's Democracy

COMMENT

Task Force For Cementing US Ties

THE prime minister has announced the setting up of a task force on “Global Strategic Developments”. The task force is to be headed by K Subrahmanyam, a well-known expert on strategic affairs. The purpose of setting up such a task force is to provide substance and rationale for the Indo-US strategic tie-up which came about as a result of the July 18 joint statement signed by prime minister Manmohan Singh and the US president George Bush.  The choice of K Subrahmanyam is significant as he is a known and committed advocate of strategic collaboration with the United States.

K Subrahmanyam himself has explained the work of the task force to a news website.

“With India and the US entering into a strategic partnership, it’s time to think realistically. Why are we doing it? Remember, it’s not just a relationship, but the partnership. Our work is to give inputs to the government on a range of issues, including the understanding of long term interests of India.”

Subrahmanyam who is a former Director of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis was also one of the key advisers to the Vajpayee government on forging strategic Indo-US ties. He served as the convenor of the National Security Advisory Board under the BJP regime.

The prime mnister obviously considers him a suitable candidate for providing inputs for the strengthening of the Indo-US strategic alliance. Subrahmanyam is skilled at putting out arguments for strengthening the Indo-US strategic partnership under the cover of national interests. Time and again, on the question of sending Indian troops to Iraq, or, supporting the US stand on Iran nuclear issue, Subrahmanyam is eloquent in defence of pro-US decisions as conforming to national interests.

While doing so Subrahmanyam has no hesitation in distorting the positions of the Left in order to malign it. This is the usual tactic of all the pro-American ideologues in the Indian establishment.  A few examples from his most recent writings can be cited. In an article in the Times of India, notable for its anti-Iranian propaganda drawn from American sources, Subrahmanyam suggests that the “ideologues” i.e. the Left, supported Pol Pot in Cambodia and the Afghan jehadists. Such statements from Subrahmanyam cannot be due to ignorance. It is common knowledge that the CPI(M) and the CPI vehemently opposed Pol Pot and supported the Vietnamese intervention to get rid of the hated regime which committed genocide. Subrahmanyam is also not unaware that it is the United States which continued to support the Pol Potist forces against the new government which it did not even recognise till much later. As for the Afghan jehadists, the US-CIA support and finance to them is well known – the original source for terrorism which Subrahmanyam so conveniently forgets.

In another article in The Tribune, Subrahmanyam seeks to convolutedly establish that the Left is helping the CIA by opposing a referral of Iran to the Security Council. Ironically, this comes from a person who advised the previous BJP regime to establish close ties with the CIA. Remember L K Advani’s visit to the CIA headquarters in Langley.

The National Security Council secretariat has been put at the disposal of this task force. This  means it will be under the prime minister’s office. One can foresee what will be the outcome of this exercise. It will serve to cement India-US strategic ties.

The question is why such a person has been chosen to head the task force whose pathological dislike for the communists is combined with a passionate commitment to US global interests.