Pakistan-India nuclear rivalry heats up

[tocqueville]

By Ehsan Ahrari

The United States never understood the permanent nature of the quest for power symmetry that drives Pakistan in its bitter rivalry with its larger and more powerful neighbor, India. That quest is currently driving it to seek the same type of nuclear deal with the US that India has received. As much as Pakistan wishes for that, it is not likely to get it unless it takes at least two steps, both of which it will not take any time soon.

So, wittingly or unwittingly, President George W Bush has intensified the nuclear-arms race and a race for technologicalparity in conventional military that are two essential elements of the power symmetry between the two South Asian rivals.

One of the idiosyncrasies of US foreign policy is that either it remains oblivious to the implications of its regional policies for major rivals or adversaries in that region or it fails to pay sufficient attention as to how its new political maneuvers would affect the balance of power in it. Such an inadequate attention is costly in South Asia, where America's stakes as related to its "war on terrorism" are so high and where the regime of President General Pervez Musharraf is doing so much in terms of fighting that war on behalf of the United States.

Even though Pakistan has emerged as America's major frontline ally in the era since September 11, 2001, there remains ample alienation and, indeed, antagonistic attitude toward that country in the US Congress and within the nuclear non-proliferation community. There may be a number of reasons underlying that unsympathetic attitude, but two bear mentioning, for they are significant and stand out quite vividly.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HC07Df01.html