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The United States, Japan, and Australia
have created a new forum to discuss
global security and stability and met
for the first time last week to
discuss Iran, North Korea, China, and
India. The Trilateral Strategic
Dialogue is a forum of
"long-standing democracies and
developed economies" in the
Asia-Pacific region to share
strategies, conversations, and actions
that they individually pursue with
other countries.
They noted with concerned Iran's nuclear
program, its intransigence, and
reluctance to engage with the
international community. They called
on Iran to give up its nuclear weapons
program and demands to enrich uranium. |
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The group demanded that North Korea return immediately and
unconditionally to the 6-nation dialogue format to
discuss their nuclear weapons and programs.
The group welcomed India's agreement to bring a large
number of its nuclear facilities under international
safeguards and "recognized the importance of
reinforcing global partnership with India." Apart
from the US, the bonhomie messages from both Japan and
Australia seem disingenuous. Japan has questioned the
Indo-US civilian nuclear deal along with China, has
not supported India's participation in the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) sponsored Asian Currency Unit,
nor has it endorsed Indian participation in Asian
Security Forum. Australia has been a major critique of
India about its nuclear weapons program, refuses to
acknowledge the civilian deal to supply nuclear fuel,
has associated itself with China for selfish financial
considerations to oppose India in Asian and Global
multi-national security forums. Therefore, while India
has a strategic dialogue started with Japan (which has
not progressed much) Indo-Australia relations are
developing mostly on Indian efforts-- trade imports by
India and educational travel by Indian students.
Analysts have looked at US statements on Chinese defense budget
increases of 14.9% taking operational expenses up to USD 35 billion to mean this is a grouping to contain
China and of India's inclusion in it. This is wishful analysis
at best.
Firstly, while the US is looking to rope in India as a
counter-weight to China, it knows that India is not a
blind follower as Canada and Australia are. India will
be a more like France that would need more persuasion,
logic, and consensus. Secondly, the very fact that
only Japan and Australia are part of this grouping and
the narrow definition glorifying their developed-ness
shows that India can never be part of it-- at least
not for a while. Thirdly, joining a forum at a later
stage and one that negates other nations is just not
India's style of functioning. India prefers to be one
of the initial architects such as the Non-Aligned
Movement, South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation, United Nations, British Commonwealth,
etc.
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