quote: NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- As U.S. President George W. Bush arrives in Hyderabad Friday, the U.S. Department of Defense says India will be able to buy more sophisticated fighter aircraft and other high-tech arms from the United States as part of a closer defense relationship between the two nations.
This would include state-of-the-art combat aircraft including the F-16 and F-18, the department said in a statement released Thursday.
quote:The protests reflect India's mixed feelings about the United States -- a country seen as a loyal friend by some and a global bully by others.
On Wednesday, nearly 150,000 protesters, most of them Muslims, demonstrated in New Delhi.
However, only a few thousand protesters took part in Thursday's demonstrations -- made up of a mix of social and environmental groups. "Bush is a killer," one sign read.
Local police in Mumbai said at least 65,000 anti-Bush protesters rallied there Thursday. Protesters burned effigies and shouted slogans.
quote: Under the nuclear deal announced Thursday, India pledges to open up its 14 civilian nuclear reactors to international inspectors and keep power generation separate from its military program.
Military sites But India -- which first tested its nuclear weapons nearly eight years ago -- will keep eight sites for secret military purposes under the terms of the deal, reached after intense negotiation.
What's the point if they can still hold EIGHT sites for military purposes and they haven't even signed the NPT? I understand the basic idea of the pact, but it doesn't do much good if they're still so free with nuclear weapons.
I'm also not sure what I think about selling them F-16s and F-18s. I guess it doesn't really bother me, as the F-35 is far more advanced, so long as they aren't getting the really advanced circuitry and avionics that go into the planes, they can have the hardware.
Still, the whole thing smells incredibly fishy to me, especially with such a large, VERY angry anti-US population there.
Posted by Reticulum (Member # 8776) on :
Well, what do you think? India is the other superpower candidate, and the most likely to become powerful. The USA obviiously wants to be on good terms with at least one of them, since we already hate China. We want them to like us, so we would have another SP ally to have in a WW.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
There are even angrier and in one case larger anti-American populations nearby.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
But you've got to admire the finesse by India. It was ballsy, and it worked.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
So long as the US can push this through the NSG, its completely legal. One wonders if they will manage.
edit: btw, if anyone saw the News Hour last night, one of the guests, professor Ganguly, is one of my professors.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
I dunno about that "large VERY angry anti-US population there." Obviously ya can use it, but... ..."a small but VERY effective happily-antiUS clique there" would be a much more accurate descriptive of Dubya and his entourage. At least until they fly back here.
[ March 03, 2006, 01:24 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Well I suppose it's all a matter of perspective. But 150,000 is a large number of people to me, and I highly doubt that was the entire anti-US population of India.
And you wouldn't describe people shouting with signs in their hands that say things like "Bush is a killer" where I believe someone was actually killed in the course of the demonstration as "very angry"??
Does it not count as "very angry" until several dozen people died and a KFC is burned down?
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Lyrhawn: for the most part, India is pro or ambivalent about America.
However, they do have somewhat over one billion people there. This means there are large numbers of everything.