Expel David Mulford, US Ambassador To India

Do you really think anything will come out of this?

I don't see this as a 'diplo gaffe'. The US has said if you want this, you have to do this. Now the ball is in India's court. It is India which needs US help and not otherwise. It is not even mutual. Lets see what the babu's there decide.

Well the foreign policy decisions are never independent. If you see India's stand right from when USSR attacked Hungary, Czechkslovakia or Afghanistan it was always based on what India's need most. Probably India would have voted against Iran for the nuclear deal but now it will simply look like kow towing to US line(even if it is). This has made situations difficult and India has to do something to massage the pride of it's people and so this is one way.

I will say this as 'diplo gafee' cause Mulford is not saying anything new. We all knew the (limited)options before India but US also realises that India govt is a coaliition govt and this gaffe has made consensus even more difficult. It will prove what Left parties are saying since last vote. They are pretty much happy with India not getting into nuclear deal with US.

Why should we get worked up so much? Mulford just did what he was asked to do by his bosses. Does it mean we cut the diplomatic relation with the US? A US ambassador does'nt apologize so easily with others (cf. no apologies against Pakistan strikes, CIA flights in Europe, etc.)

There ain't going be a vote against Iran. If it comes, India will abstain and no love will be lost. Let's move on with working on the nuclear deal.

"If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to stop pissing with the puppies". - from an article on the topic at the BBC.

This incident has given India an opportunity to frame a clever demarche. Indian interest should be paramount. I don't think the proposed Nuclear deal has much worth for India. India should start one to one negotiaton with Iran (like China) .

I don't think the proposed Nuclear deal has much worth for India.

The point is that US is putting too much importance on getting India's support in this Iran issue. India has several other pressing issue when it comes to foreign affairs. Why can't we link proposition of getting a permanent seat at UNSC with Iran vote.

At present Iran and China has a deal under which China gets fuel at concessional cost in return of veto in UN over any possible sanctions. Russia is said to follow the move of china.

Nuclear deal is not prompt critcality for India. When we got Cirus reactor from Canada and USA even then it was not given to us for nuclear bomb.

If US is giving so much importance to this Iran issue then why not harness it ?

I think you are right on this one. For one thing why is this nuclear deal being given THIS much importance. US policies have been known to be hypocritical in the past, and there is no reason to believe that they will go out of their way to get what they want from India, which I guess they are entitled to.

I think India should expel Mulford and take a decision on its own merits and not on its nuclear deals.

Good post

Suyog

If US is giving so much importance to this Iran issue then why not harness it ?

Cynical Nerd - I totally agree with you. We need to play hardball. We should also start doing some one to one negotiation with Iran over this issue with bilateral context. US is not the only country with brains.

I completely love that the "we" in this conversation is not from the US perspective. Not because that perspective desn't have validity, but because I get enough of it 24/7 while living in the US.

In part this well-written essay addresses something many Americans can't quite seem to understand (though many also do) - each country will pursue its own interests, and they may not always coincide with American interests. The fact that they do not coincide is not an anti-American sentiment, or a "with us or ag'in'" situation.

Some of the commentators are also correct. The United States is pursuing its own interests, but the gaffe, IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) is that it assumes there's is everyone else's. As the writer correctly points out, a country likes to make its own decisions and the fact that India would probably already vote the US's way just makes the pressure that much more ineffective and misdirected.

And very undiplomatic.

Malfoy, I mean Mulford represented the Bush administration's predisposition towards the foot in the mouth syndrome ;-)

hehe, I agree with Deepti. I guess he is either one of "foot in mouth" diplomat or a highly shrewd one.

There is report from Reuters that in the case of voting over Iran issue, India might abstain. This has to do with Mulford's statement.

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=62212

I appreciate this.

Great, I was reading Google news and I came across this article. It as posted on Blogcritics and Google linked it from there.

Yes, sorry for not mailing you. We are cross-posting articles of global interest to Blogcritics.org to afford them a wider audience, and also use their GNews feed till ours is up and running

Thanks Aaman.