A Sensible Vote

Via Indian Express, India votes to refer Iran’s nukes to UNSC. This is quite a revolutionary moment in our foreign policy, because we broke here from Russia (and China) -- both abstained.

We've previously supported such a vote by joining Nitin's excellent analysis.

Now that the vote is over and done, we'd like to make one observation.

There's been much fear expressed in Indian circles that if India had abstained (or even voted to deny referral), our emerging strategic partnership with America would have been derailed. We simply do not believe this.

The logic for our partnership anticipates disagreements and surely no sensible analyst has calculated that India would turn into an American lackey. Indeed, a lockstep Indian servility to America would undermine our great power status and credibility -- both key to advancing mutual interests in the new century.

India can better represent the community of global democracies in Asia (where a dictator dragon looms large) and in the developing world (where India is a credible role model) if it is seen to act as a standalone power -- with sufficient clout to part ways even with America.

Let's not ever sell India short by succumbing (Pakistan-like) to the routine rough-and-tumble of aggressive negotiation. Americans are far too smart to not negotiate this way, and to walk away from a millennial partnership over a symbolic vote that, per Stratfor, amounts to nothing more than an angry letter addressed to Iran.

In closing, now that the vote is done, we reiterate our calls that Indian-Americans Should Quit Supporting Tom Lantos and that Natwar Singh Should Resign.