Well, after
my comments regarding Australian PM John Howard's decision to stand on principle and not sell uranium to the Indians because they are not signatories of the UN's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it appears that good old Johnny may be
meekly rolling over and letting the US walk all over him, again despite
opposition from within the country.
As Howard left for his own meeting with the Indian PM Manmohan Singh, he has said that he will not rule out establishing a deal with Singh that will send Australian uranium to Indian reactors. This, of course, on the tail-end of the deal that Bush is trying to get through Congress that will put American nuclear technology in the Indian's hands.
How Bush is going to sell this is anybody's guess. India has a longstanding and vital relationship with a country that is now on the US hit list - Iran. In the aftermath of the Dubai port deal I should imagine that Congress is just a little gun-shy right about now with regard to deals that might well compromise our security. In this case, my friend's friend is unfortunately my enemy, so a deal that gives the Indian's our nuclear tech is one that is not only incredibly short-sighted, no matter how many apparent safeguards are written into the deal, but one that presents an invitation to the Indian's to profit from this deal with our enemies. Too far-fetched you think? It doesn't need to be legitimate, remember Abdul Qadeer Khan and what he did with Pakistan's nuclear technology, and I'm sure I don't have to mention yet again of India's stubborn refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The Americans have argued that Australia's policy needs to be amended to take account of the reality of India's growing international role, a role that George Bush appears more than comfortable with now even though it includes expanding relations with the military junta in Myanmar, formerly Burma, continuing an on-going conflict with Pakistan in Kashmir, and the exploration deals in Syria it has signed with China - the country Bush criticized Howard for selling uranium to. My oh my the hypocrisy of the situation is mind boggling.
So while George Bush moves ahead to sign deals with countries that deal strategically and militarily with our enemies, and turns the screws on the Australian government to follow suit, one wonders whether this "Global War on Terror" is just an incredible fallacy to make certain people extremely rich at the expense of the American people, or the President and his Administration really have no regard for our future safety.