Posted on 04/29/2012 12:43:43 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
INDIA'S arms build-up, dramatically underlined by its achievement in launching an ICBM capable of carrying nuclear warheads between 5500km and 8000km, will understandably raise concern among those who believe that with hundreds of millions of its people living in abject poverty, the country has got its priorities wrong.
Such criticism is easy to make, especially given the enormity of its defence spending, which last year amounted to $49 billion, and its new status as the world's largest weapons purchaser, with an inventory including an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine. It should be seen, however, in the context of what is happening across the wider Asia-Pacific region, as China which last month announced a double-digit increase in its defence spending strongly asserts its rising military clout as a means of expanding its influence and the Obama administration forcefully seeks to counter Beijing's new strength by making a number of major strategic moves, including the deployment of US marines in Australia.
That the new Indian ICBM, the Agni V, has targets in China rather than in traditional rival Pakistan has been made clear. India has long had nuclear-capable missiles able to strike across Pakistan. With an ICBM, India joins a handful of countries that have this long-range capability, the others being China, Britain, France, Russia, Israel and the US. Beijing and Shanghai will be within range. Significantly, the Agni V is a so-called MIRV capable of carrying several nuclear warheads rather than the single warhead capability of China's ballistic missiles. Unsurprisingly, China's close ally Pakistan has responded to the Agni V by test-firing a nuclear-capable missile of its own, the Shaheen-1A. This follows its earlier launch of the short-range Abdali. With 100 nuclear warheads, Pakistan's military potency should not be underestimated, but it is clear India's latest advance has everything to do with China and little to do with Pakistan.
India has an impeccable democratic record apart from then prime minister Indira's Gandhi's temporary aberration when she declared an authoritarian state of emergency in 1975. A nuclear power, it has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty but, importantly, is pledged to follow a policy of no first nuclear strike. Following the signing of its civil nuclear agreement with Washington, it is now a key Western ally. It has a crucial role to play in containing China's military assertiveness. It is not alone. The deployment of US marines in Darwin is another aspect of the containment policy. So, too, is a range of other initiatives by Washington, including reinvigoration of military ties with The Philippines, weapons worth $6bn destined for Taiwan and overtures to China's close ally Burma as it changes course towards democracy. Even Bangladesh is being courted as a regional security partner.
In different circumstances, it might be valid to criticise India for its build-up. With China stridently on the offensive in the region, however, seeking to use its military clout to spread its influence, it is not. India has a crucial role to play in containing that offensive, and its Agni V should be seen as part of that rather than a manifestation of some mistaken priority. China must not be allowed to use its rising military power to have things all its own way in our region. Containment is the right policy, and India is an essential part of it.
FYI Ping.
Point it in the direction of Islamabad, and be done with the goat humpers. (Of course 7-11 and NYC taxis would be the hardest hit)
If China thought they could they would conquer all of India and then claim it was "always historically a part of China." As in the past the liberal western press would back them up on that and copy&paste their news articles straight from PLAN propaganda handouts.
Let both of those nasty, stinking, smelly, “unclean,” classless perverted turd-world cesspools of pig scat nuke each other and be done with them forever.
The world will be a better place without pakistan and india.
Uttered like a true idiot.
When the balance in Asia then gravitates towards China, will you be among the first to volunteer with your life in any military campaign to prevent Chinese hegemony of the world, specifically through US intervention?
You have no idea what you are talking about.
My post is an accurate description of their countries.
Live with it.
Have a nice day, sunshine.
You apparently have little understanding of world history, basic geography, and current events. Why are you on Freerepublic?
You apparently have little understanding of world history, basic geography, and current events. Why are you on Freerepublic?
Might want to dig a little deeper.
India has had Pakistan in range with the Agni-2 since 2002, and now has China (except the extreme tip of Manchuria) with deployment of the Agni-3
And while Agni-5 will be MIRV, the MIRV Agni-3++ and the sub-launched MIRVd Agni-3SL are due to be in service before Agni-5
in many ways, Apu is a model for others — he works hard, very hard and doesn’t spend frivolously, he’s studied well and he’s successful. a model American
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