OBAMA'S 3-Ds - DANCE, DELIVER AND DART

We, as a country, suffer from a chronic disease which makes us “genuflect” at the slightest provocation that too when it concerned a foreign dignitary. This was well on display when the US President Barack Obama came to India on a three-day “business trip” accompanied by his wife Michelle Obama.

Take the case of Michelle Obama’s dance session with school children. Top intellectuals of the country including celebrated anchors of television channels went berserk with their unsuppressable admiration and awe over the US First Lady’s feat. Shaking a leg by Michelle was the “defining moment” for many channels and the video clips were shown repeatedly for three days. What do you expect from the First Lady of any country when their husbands are busy on endless discussions? Sitting in the hotel room and watching soaps? Some said there was no jet lag for the First Couple of the US as if they travelled in “cattle class” on a scheduled flight!
Of course, these are trivial issues. What was hailed as the “high ticket” programme of the US President was his address to the joint session of Indian Parliament. Politicians, bureaucrats, political analysts and think tanks went hysterical over the address saying it was “historic”, “fantastic” “fabulous” and all the superlatives in their vocabulary were freely in use. No doubt, Obama made politically correct noises to please his hosts. But they were all like good smelling onions. The moment you start peeling them, what remains is nothing.

Three announcements in his address pleased the Indian establishment and the public at large. One was America’s support for India’s bid to get a permanent berth in the UN Security Council. What does this really mean? Obama himself answered this question before he left for his Asian tour in search of jobs for his guys and gals. He said that the issue (UNSC seat for India) was “difficult and complicated”.

India’s bid for entry into the UNSC is atleast 20 years old. When there was talk of UNSC reforms keeping in view the changing geo-political scenario in the aftermath of World War II, India filed its caveat. No tangible action was in evidence even after the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao made a forceful plea for India’s inclusion in the Council. Germany, Japan, Brazil and South Africa are also on the queue. US has already promised its support for Japan besides India.

The pertinent question is will China, a permanent member of the UNSC with veto power, fall in line. Further, nothing will be more disconcerting for Pakistan than its hostile neighbour sitting on the high table at the UNSC. No wonder, Pakistan President Zardari is leaving for China to prevail upon its benefactor not to bite the US bait. Obama is well aware of these imponderables. Well, he does not lose anything by extending US support to India knowing full well that nothing will come out of it. He has succeeded in pleasing his hosts in India when he was on the Indian soil. That is it.

The second announcement is about Pakistan which the entire nation was eagerly waiting to listen. He paraphrased the 3Ds of his generals at the Pentagon, i.e. disrupt, dismantle and destroy terrorist camps of Al Queda and Taliban in Pakistan soil. Indian establishment and people were elated.

What is the ground reality? US military personnel themselves are clueless as to how they could rein in Pakistan. Recently published book by Bob Woodward “Obama’s wars” bears enough evidence for the helplessness, or if I may use a stronger expression, impotence of the military strategists of the surviving super power of the world.

Woodward is an associate editor of the Washington Post. He shared two Pulitzer prizes for his coverage of the Watergate scandal and 9/11 terrorist attack. In this latest book, based on internal memos, classified documents, hundreds of hours of interviews, Woodward gives an inside story of how the White House works and seamless conflicts between White House and Pentagon. It also exposes how the White House officials and generals are unable to act against Pakistan though they know very well about the double game played by Pakistan.

Here are a few quotes to illustrate clueless America:

Mike McConnell is the director of National Intelligence (DNI) In his briefing to the newly elected President, he says: “It (Pakistan) was a dishonest partner of the US in the Afghanistan war. They’re living a lie...Pakistani ISI had helped the Haqqani network attack the Indian embassy in Kabul.

The book also reveals that US Vice President Joe Biden told Pakistani President that US taxpayers would not support assistance to Pakistan if the Taliban and al Qaeda continued to operate from Pakistani sanctuaries to kill US soldiers and plot attacks. Pakistan has got to stop providing safe haven. Biden also told Zardari “You can’t keep playing one side against the other. We got briefed by the CIA. The CIA thought that a lot of our intelligence was compromised by the ISI alerting the terrorist camps we were targeting for drone strikes” “Segments of the Afghan Taliban insurgency such as the Haqqani network had virtual immunity in Pakistan and al Qaeda was free to set up and run training camps”.

Bruce Riedel, a trusted confidante of Obama writes in his book, “The Search for al Qaeda” (as quoted by Woodward) that the true national security threat is Pakistan which he calls “the most dangerous country in the world today, where every nightmare of the 2lst century converges – terrorism, government instability, corruption and nuclear weapons”.

All these conversations took place immediately after Obama’s election in 2008. Two years into his Presidency, he stays where he stood at the beginning of his term. There are doubts whether he would be able to pull out of Afghanistan, as promised, by May next year without facing a virtual defeat and that is what Pakistan, US’s frontline partner in war against terror, is looking forward to. Ironically, while Obama is unable to enlist Pak support for his war in Afghanistan how is he going to help India in dismantling terrorist training camps operating against India?
The third point he made in his address was that the perpetrators of 26/11 would be brought to book. First, let his agencies share with India the full text of James Headley’s interrogation and come out with convincing reasons for not sharing intelligence with India about Headley.

The basic point is that any visiting head of state is expected to make certain friendly gestures. It is not Obama’s fault if we read too much into his statements and delude ourselves.