WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Australia and India Mend Ties Summary After two years, the governments of Australia and India have re- established military ties, and the Australian prime minister, John Howard, is visiting New Delhi. This warming in relations comes as the Indian navy has begun to look east, to the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Rather than recoiling against a potential competitor, Australia will likely focus its new relationship with India on a common threat: China. Analysis Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived in New Delhi on July 10 for a visit to repair relations with India. The diplomatic fallout from India's 1998 nuclear test included the end of military-to-military contacts between Canberra and New Delhi. But the divisions are on the mend as India's increasing regional ambitions are spurring Australia to turn a potential rival into a potential ally in the Indian Ocean. Howard's visit is intended to advance Australia's economic and political relationship with India. The visit caps a period of increased diplomatic contact, including a March meeting between foreign ministers Jaswant Singh and Alexander Downer, which ultimately resulted in the resumption of defense ties. The two governments continue to hold different opinions on non- proliferation, but the Australians appear willing to push the issue to the side. ________________________________________________________________ Would you like to see full text? http://www.stratfor.com/SERVICES/giu2000/071100.ASP ___________________________________________________________________ Economic discussions will likely center on agriculture, investment and information technology. Australia can supply India with cheap grain and, more importantly, outside investment. Both nations can likely profit from technology sharing agreements, and Australian firms can take advantage of India's educated but inexpensive workforce. But the real issue here is strategic, the relationship between India and Australia in an increasingly unstable Southeast Asia, overshadowed by an expansive China. India is a rising power in the region. Its navy is growing, and military leaders have declared an "area of interest" that extends 7,000 miles, from the Arabian Sea in the west to the South China Sea in the east. By definition, this area includes part of Indonesia and the Strait of Malacca - areas that are vital to Australian security. Howard's government increasingly leans toward an active defense policy, stopping problems before they reach Australian shores. This policy would logically extend Australia's area of interest beyond the horizon - and into potential conflict with India. In such a situation, Canberra would find itself at a disadvantage. Australia is having a difficult time finding the funds to pay for a weapons modernization program. _______________________________________________________________ For more on Australia, see: http://www.stratfor.com/asia/countries/australia/default.htm For more on India, see: http://www.stratfor.com/asia/countries/india/default.htm __________________________________________________________________ But Australia and India have a common interest that precludes rivalry; both are concerned about China. Relations between New Delhi and Beijing are historically poor, and China still occupies a section of Indian-claimed Kashmir. And India has increasingly made it clear that it intends to challenge China's dominance in Southeast Asia. Australian military planners have long been concerned with the potential naval threat posed by China. India can block the threat. Engaging India gives Australia some ability to shape the way the Indian navy moves into the region. By itself, Australia does not have the wherewithal to police Southeast Asia, and the United States can be a flighty partner. The minimal U.S. commitment to peacekeeping in East Timor is an example. The Australian government has before it not only the opportunity to deflect a potential competitor. Even better, Australia can turn a competitor into a witting, or unwitting, ally. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! ****************************************************************************** ******************* A vote for Bush or Gore is a vote to continue Clinton policies! A vote for Buchanan is a vote to continue America! Therefore a vote for Gore or Bush is a wasted vote for America! Don't waste your vote! Vote for Patrick Buchanan! Today, candor compels us to admit that our vaunted two-party system is a snare and a delusion, a fraud upon the nation. Our two parties have become nothing but two wings of the same bird of prey... Patrick Buchanan <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
