Why is the US making India a counterpoint to Iran?

NEW DELHI: Dilip Hiro is a writer & analyst specialising in Islamic countries. He was born in Pakistan and currently lives in London. Excerpts from an interview:

Several theories are being bounced around to explain American overdrive in the Middle East – oil, revenge, strategic interests, etc. What do you think is behind the US invasion of Iraq and now the confrontation with Iran over its nuclear programme?

I believe American foreign policy in the Middle East is driven by Israel. After the Bush Administration was installed in 2001, a bunch of pro-Israeli neo-cons manipulated US foreign policy to further Israeli interests. They want to ensure that the security of Israel is guaranteed for the next 200 – 300 years. And the only way to do that is to get rid of hostile regimes, like Saddam Hussain’s in Iraq and the Ayatollahs in Iran. The neo-cons have put the gloss of democracy on it. Freedom is the selling point. Liberate the Iraqis first and now the Iranians.

Well, the situation in Iraq seems to be slipping out US control. Can the US stabilise it? And where is the confrontation with Iran heading?

The National Intelligence Council of the US set up a committee to study the war in Iraq. The committee read something like 1,000 position papers on it and came to the conclusion that the Iraq War has turned Iraq into an incubator for Islamic terrorists. Iran has made things worse. It will make Iraq look like a Sunday picnic.

What are these developments doing to Islam? Are they fostering the idea of radical Islam?

Islam has not changed but people’s perceptions are changing. People in Pakistan today are more anti-American than anti-Indian. Feelings are running high among Muslims all over the world. They believe that in the name of the war on terror, the US has launched a war on Islam. And events bolster this thesis. Why doesn’t the US attack North Korea, for instance? North Korea is a tyranny and has bombs and missiles. The same ingredients as Iran. A recent US poll fund that 52 per cent people believe that Islam is violent. These people are falling into the trap set by Osama Bin Laden. He wants a clash of civilisations.

You’re painting a grim picture. Does India have a role to play?

By going with the US on the Iran vote in the IAEA, India has spoilt its case. Iran’s policy has been to pursue good relations with China, Russia and India to balance US hegemonistic ambitions. Iran hasn’t pushed India on Kashmir. So it came as a big shock to Iran when India decided to vote along with the US last September. Now the US is making India and Iran counterpoints. It praises India for its democracy and criticises Iran for tyranny. It praises India for being a responsible state with nuclear weapons and attacks Iran for its irresponsible nuclear programme. India and Iran are being compared and contrasted. This makes it difficult for India to play any kind of role in the current crisis.

Do you think the Indo-US nuclear agreement is part of this policy?

I don’t know enough about the agreement to comment on it. But Bush spelt out his agenda in his Purana Qila speech. He praised India’s democracy. He talked about overthrowing tyrannical regimes in the name of freedom. The US is doing with India what it has done with Israel. It wants to co-opt India and it’s figured out that the best way of doing it is to give a pep talk that makes India feel good. I mean, honestly, these are cliches, the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy. It’s laughable to also think that India is being built up as a counter to China. Look at the objective facts. India is doing better than before but China is way ahead. It has a 9 per cent share of the world’s manufacturing output; India has less than 2 per cent.