In praise of Indian leaders for the Soviet Union, refusal to condemn the invasion of Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), Afghanistan (1979), and reliance on Soviet weapons. A Cold War relationship between India and the United States was born. It was right at best, and although not rare, it was quite hostile. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi signed a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union in response to Pakistani troops’ attacks on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and support for China and the United States to Pakistan, the lowest point was arguably 1971. did. As a gesture of support to Pakistan, Richard Nixon sent the aircraft carrier Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal. India’s anti-Americanism has skyrocketed.
Nixon, who hated Mrs. Gandhi and often referred to her in unprintable words here, supported Pakistan, a solid ally during the Cold War, and arranged a secret and transformative trip to Beijing in 1971 by Henry Kissinger. I was helping to do it. It was not a problem that Pakistani troops committed rape, genocide and looting in East Pakistan, forcing 3 million Bengali to flee to India. India’s defeat in Pakistan, which led to East Pakistan’s independence, confirmed Nixon and Kissinger’s belief that India took this opportunity to achieve its long-standing goal of abandoning Pakistan.
Among the many virtues of Ahmed’s book is the clever fusion of Indian-American relations and the impersonal forces that shaped the role of good and evil of individual leaders (ideology and nationalism between them). She provides many vivid examples of how important individuality is. Ahmed’s admiration, Eisenhower, was a calm and wise man who could see Dulles’ anti-Indian stereotypes in the past. Both aristocrats, Nehru and John Kennedy, met in 1961 and soon warmed up to each other. Their relationship facilitated the path of American arms transport to India during the cruel war with China in 1962. Jackie Kennedy has her own personal touch, a fascinating Nehru (Ahmed’s book contains a photo of two people walking cross-arms across the White House lawn in 1961). , Fascinated India during his visit in 1962. A series of talented and compassionate American ambassadors, especially the Chester Bowles and John Kenneth Galbraith, often skillfully navigate turbulent diplomatic waters and are loved in India for the true love they had for it. Became a person.
In contrast, Nehru’s anti-American Defense Minister, Krishna Menon, appeared to be in his predicament, arrogant, and prickly, with his mission to keep American leaders away. Mrs. Gandhi was awkward, attacking quickly, forgiving slowly, and thus very similar to Nixon, exacerbating his anxiety and agitating his anger. (Another photo of Ahmed’s book captures their mutual contempt.) George W. Bush praises India’s democracy and is probably the strategy of India and the United States today more than any other president. We have done a lot to build a democratic partnership. A particularly important achievement was the 2008 agreement on private-sector nuclear cooperation, which paved the way for India to purchase US nuclear fuel and technology. Not only did India categorically refuse to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, but as it became a nuclear-armed nation, many barriers had to be overcome in order to conclude the agreement, and the explanation of Ahmed’s complexity is spectacular. .. So is Prime Minister Narashinha Lao’s account of the 1991-96 economic reforms. It unleashed India’s regulated economy, boosted growth rates, and laid the foundation for increased trade with and investment from the United States.