Guest guest Posted August 26, 2002 Report Share Posted August 26, 2002 Hello, I believe the quote below is considered slander becvause the RSS has been legally vindicated 3 times on this charge. Any lawyers ready to enforce a published apology from the Baltimore Sun? Vrin "the RSS, a >>shadowy Hindu extremist group associated with the assassination of >>India's founder, Mahatma Gandhi." Baltimore Sun >"Ashwini Kumar" >Fwd: "Arming India isn't route to peace" >Tue, 20 Aug 2002 21:27:06 -0400 > > > > >> >> >>Dear Friend: >> >>This article appeared in SunSpot.net which is the online service of >>the Baltimore Sun. It needs to be rebutted effectively. >> >>To send a letter to the editor, click: >>http://www.sunspot.net/about/bal-feedback.htmlstory >> >>Ram Narayanan >> >> >>http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/oped/bal- op.indopak16aug16.story >> >>SUNSPOT.NET >> >>ARMING INDIA ISN'T ROUTE TO PEACE >> >>- ------------- >>By Conn Hallinan >>Originally published August 16, 2002 >> >>SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- As tensions between India and Pakistan began >>building late last year, high-level delegations from the United >>States and Britain flew in and out of New Delhi and Karachi >>lobbying for peace. >> >>That's not all they were lobbying for. With the scent of blood in >>the air, the arms jackals have poured into South Asia, sometimes in >>the suits of leading government officials. >> >>When British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited India in January, >>ostensibly it was to calm troubled waters. But according to Indian >>Defense Minister George Fernandes, Mr. Blair also was pushing a >>$1.43-billion deal for India to purchase 66 British-made Hawk >>fighter-bombers. >> >>The Hawk deal is part of a drive by British arms manufacturers to >>make a killing from the crisis. London is also selling the Indians >>Jaguar bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons, in addition >>to peddling tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft guns, small arms and >>ammunition. >> >>The British are not alone in this seamy business. >> >>In February, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint >>Chiefs of Staff, visited New Delhi. Shortly thereafter, U.S. arms >>maker Raytheon closed a $146-million deal to sell the Indians >>counter-artillery radar. The United States has approved 20 other >>defense agreements, including a contract for General Electric to >>build engines for India's multimillion-dollar Light Combat Aircraft >>project. >> >>U.S. technology is also slipping through the back door via weapons >>agreements between Israel and India. New Delhi is buying the $1 >>billion Phalcon airborne radar, which is based on the U.S. AWAC >>surveillance system, and is negotiating to buy the Arrow >>anti-missile system jointly developed by the United States and >>Israel. Boeing makes 52 percent of the Arrow's components. >> >>"India realizes it needs to be as close to the U.S. and Israeli >>technology as possible if it is to modernize its armed forces," >>Indian defense analyst P.R. Chari told the Financial Times. >> >>India is one of the biggest weapons markets in the world, with an >>annual budget of $14 billion. The United States is the world's No. >>1 weapons dealer, with $18.6 billion in arms sales last year. >> >>But is pouring massive amounts of sophisticated weapons into what >>is undeniably the most dangerous flashpoint on the globe a good >>idea? It has certainly frightened the Pakistanis. >> >>"We are ... alarmed by India's relentless pursuit and acquisition >>of defense equipment that is far beyond India's genuine needs," >>said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan. >> >>With 35 percent of its budget already devoted to the military, >>Pakistan is in no position to match India's weapons-buying spree. >>But as Pakistan falls further behind in the conventional sphere, >>the Pakistanis have made it clear that they will counterbalance >>that weakness with nuclear weapons. >> >>India has rationalized its military buildup as part of a "war on >>terrorism" and has successfully hung a "Muslim extremist" label on >>Pakistan. But the Indian government has an extremist streak of its >>own. After the intercommunal riots in which more than 1,000 people >>were killed earlier this year, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee >>blamed the violence on Muslims, who he claimed "do not want to live >>with others." >> >>His ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is closely tied to the RSS, a >>shadowy Hindu extremist group associated with the assassination of >>India's founder, Mahatma Gandhi. The initials stand for Rashtriya >>Swayamsevak Sangh, or the Organization of National Volunteers. >> >>The RSS runs more than 20,000 private schools in India to pursue >>its goal of Hindutva -- creating an all-Hindu society. The RSS and >>its close ally, the World Hindu Council, led the intercommunal >>riots that destroyed the Babri mosque at Ayodhya in 1992, sparking >>tens of thousands of deaths across India, the vast majority of them >>Muslims. The present deputy prime minister, Lal Krishna Advani, led >>the movement to destroy the mosque and build a temple to the Hindu >>god Ram in its place. >> >>In short, this is not as simple as "civilized good guys" vs. >>"terrorist bad guys." >> >>The solution to reducing tensions in South Asia is not more >>weapons, but a serious international effort to resolve the >>55-year-old standoff between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. >>Reducing that complex business to black-and-white, end-terrorism >>formulas and feeding an arms race on the subcontinent could end up >>getting a lot of people killed. >> >>Conn Hallinan is provost at the University of California, Santa >>Cruz, and an analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus, a think tank. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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