President Clinton has arrived. It's time to review our relations with the US. Politicalpundits dream about a strategic alliance of Russia, China and India to contain the US.They are daft. China gets 20 times more direct investment from the US than India. Russiadepends on the US for assistance. Our pundits can't stomach a unipolar world. They resentone nation dominating the world.
But America is not a nation. It is a myth. It is an accident of history. It is abizarre experiment that succeeded. To deal with it successfully, Indians have first tounderstand America.
There's an easy way to understand America. Think of America as being to the rest of theworld what Delhi is to the rest of India. Delhi is not a state. It is the National CapitalRegion. America is not a nation. It is the International Capital Region.
Migrants from all over India have settled down in Delhi. Migrants from all over theworld have settled down in America. The original residents of Delhi are a pitiful minorityin their own homeland. The original residents of America are a pitiful minority in theirown homeland.
Each Delhi resident has dual loyalty. He is loyal to Delhi. He is also loyal to Bihar,Punjab, Kerala or whichever state he comes from. Each American has dual loyalty. He isloyal to America. He is also loyal to Ireland, China, Iran, or whichever nation he comesfrom.
A Delhi resident has a bias for his parent state and lobbies for it with hisgovernment. An American has bias for his parent nation and lobbies for it with hisgovernment.
Although the prime minister in Delhi rules Indian states, India didn't choose him. OnlyLok Sabha MPs could decide that Chandra Shekhar, Gujral, Gowda or Vajpayee would be PM.Although the US president rules the world's nations, the world didn't choose him. OnlyAmerican voters could decide that Carter, Reagan, Bush or Clinton would be president.
A Cabinet minister in Delhi, like Nitish Kumar, can leave the capital and become chiefminister in his parent state, Bihar. A Cabinet minister in America, like MadeleineAlbright, can leave the capital and become president in her parent nation, Czechoslovakia.
So what's the problem in dealing with the US? Laloo could defy Vajpayee and win. Whycan't Vajpayee defy Clinton and win?
Yankee Doodle saw the world
Trespassing every border,
The UN flag he then unfurled
And called it New World Order!
