Bonnie I said I would reply to your questions of Monday. First, ask yourself who is the American Ambassador to India. The very first thing ask yourself that.
Second: Pakistan has the capability of making an atom bomb, India just tested in one of the five tests... a hydrogen bomb. We are talking about a big, big bomb here.
Third: China. At this moment, as it has for the last thirty odd years, China occupies a Nevada -Utah size space of Indian territory in Ladakh. In the early 1960's the Chinese built a road that bisects Ladakh that the Indian's didn't notice for 18 months. The road and the 1960's attack on the Indian NEFA area has caused an Indian troop presence in the Northwest areas for a generation. It's a tough "war" becasue it's hard to get equipment and men to work at above 15,000 feet.
China is the big bugaboo to India...and vice versa. Chinese supply of Pakistan has been part of this geo-political game between India and China.
Now. The ravings Indian nationalists aside - 91% Indian urban approval - the volume is being turned up on the program called "Nuclear fires and Nuclear Hell".
Believe me if India persists with this assininity it's banks will go bust, the country will beack in a foregin exchange crisis like 1991 and the Chinese will give H bomb technology to Pakistan. Why should they( the Chinese) fry India... when the Pakistanis are dying to even the game by blowing the goal posts away.
As for 91% of the urban people backing the tests... the Indians, the great preponderance of them have more concerns with having adequate housing, misquito control, and power... let alone an adequate diet.
In he meantime people like our ultra nationalist threadster Sankar Acharya will be revealed as generous minded, well rounded, humanists in the ongoing discussions.
I wonder how many of the Indian originated "nationalists" here on this discussion group have ever spent any time let alone months and months like I have in Indian villages living on a village economy. Few. Pitifully few becasue they would see that the "new" India standing proud over the nuclear fires is something the country can't afford. Doesn't need. And will launch them (the Indian nationalists) on a road that a certain point it will be exceedingly difficult to turn back from.
In closing... believe me "the great game" is alive and well. It just got goddamnd more expensive.
And we will soon know in this game of musical chairs who has a chair and who doesn't.
My best,
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