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They may be divided over who India should back, but The Indian Express readers are clear about one thing: we must weigh all its options befo...

They may be divided over who India should back, but The Indian Express readers are clear about one thing: we must weigh all its options before jumping into any bandwagon

8226; The 8216;8216;big picture8217;8217; presented by Shekhar Gupta in his article Saddam and the snooker game8217; is very convincing. We are not serving the national cause by being on the wrong side of the Americans. Once Bush places a friendly regime in power in Iraq, he will undoubtedly set into motion his bigger design of humanising the terrorist face of Islam. Then our concerns vis-a-vis Pakistan will be addressed. If we don8217;t oppose US now, we will have everything to gain. In any case, there is nothing immoral in being with the Americans for Saddam is no saint. There is some merit in the American view that Saddam has not disarmed.
8212; Brig V.K. Agrawal Retd.

8226; Even if we assume that America8217;s intention to 8216;8216;fix8217;8217; the Islamic world is credible, the country does not exactly have a great track record. US8217;s self-righteousness is what concerns the rest of the world. Everyone may share their concern about terrorism but they do not necessarily agree on their methods. America8217;s unilateralism will not help us in dealing with Pakistan in the long run either. If at all India threatens Pakistan, the US will be breathing down our necks with its ridiculous advice to exercise restraint.
8212; Kiran Saligrama

8226; There is an old Indian saying, 8216;8216;Maroon ghutna, phoote aankh hitting the knee to hurt the eye8217;8217;. Your article wants us to believe that US is playing a similar game. Once Saddam is tackled, Baghdad will be the launch pad for attacks against the sheikhdoms of the Arab world. But what prevents Bush from going straight to the centre of gravity of the Muslim world? Anyway, the article is a daring foray into Bush8217;s mind: Saddam today, Saudis tomorrow and maybe Pakistan last; and till then, we must keep quiet because a war will not be about oil but about Islam militancy. However, somehow your 8216;8216;big picture8217;8217; lacks contours and colours.
8212; Dr R.K. Malhotra

8226; India is not opposed to the US policy on Iraq, just to the way it is being implemented. We have taken a balanced approach, letting US know its Iraq policy will be unacceptable if it is not followed by logical action on Pakistan. India8217;s current belligerent attitude towards Pakistan as well as Bangladesh explains this stand. And the US silence on both these issues speaks for itself. Our policy has also enabled us to open up to France and Iran 8212; the spate of military agreements with these two countries is the proof. For the first time, the US is offering F-168217;s to India on a platter. Moreover, even the exchange of portfolios between Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha was a well-orchestrated move, with an eye to giving a break from the former8217;s open pro-US stance without apparent returns vis-a-vis Pakistan. For Sinha, it has been relatively easy to make noises which appear to oppose US without actually doing so.
8212; Colonel Rajendra Aggarwala Retd

8226; It is a shame that Indians have not grasped the reality of the situation. Have we ever paid attention to the number of times our bags of wheat have been rejected by the starving people in Baghdad on the charge that it is contaminated. The only point worth considering is Saddam8217;s support to India on Kashmir.
8212; Basker Mathrubootham

8226; I find your condescending attitude towards the US war against Iraq alarming. When war is going to be perpetrated on a country just to seek revenge for 8216;8216;trying to get my dad8217;8217;, isn8217;t it the responsibility of the saner countries to point out the dangers.
8212; Naveen

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8226; Your assessment that Saddam8217;s removal is the first step in an elaborate geopolitical game seems to be correct. But the question is, why Saddam? Is it because he is the weakest among the Ummah? He is relatively secular and hence has no religious authority to take advantage of. His only power is his military. On India8217;s foreign policy vis-a-vis the Iraq situation, we should not be too hasty in jumping into any bandwagon.
8212; Sreekanth Vellala

8226; Baghdad may be US8217;s launch pad into Saudi Arabia in the long run, but their next target is likely to be Iran. Both the US and Israel are worried about Iran8217;s intentions in acquiring nuclear weapons. Given its involvement in Lebanon, a nuclear Iran is more dangerous for Israel and the US than a nuclear Iraq.
8212;Santhosh

8226; There is evidently a majority US opinion to put America over UN. This will cause a split in the UN, which may go the way of the League of Nations. India must uphold its principled geopolitical idealism and make use of a UN split to force an agenda of renegotiating important policies like the CTBT.
8212; Nanda