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As reported by ORISSADIARY.COM. our favorite emerging navy is on the move in annual major exercises off of India's Western Coast. We know that India isn't a perfect nation but it is the sole surviving ancient civilization in this world. There may be echos of the Greek and Roman traditions in Western nations but those civilizations are long dead. India's ancient civilization with its customs, traditions, religions, cuisines, crafts, languages have survived attacks by Islamic and western forces over the centuries. This ancient civilization is also an emerging nation state that is already one of the most important regional powers on earth. Thankfully for the West, while stubbornly independent by the typical Western View India has embraced democracy and is in fact the largest democracy in the world in terms of population.
India, has also adopted English as a commercial language and as one of its official languages making it the largest English speaking nation on Earth. In all of its thousands of years of existence, though invaded; India has never invaded a neighbor. The Indian Ocean is a troubled sea with a terrorist state, Iran sitting on the passage in and out from west, pirates off the African coast, and the Dragon constantly probing from the east with its intention of establishing its "string of pearls" series of naval support bases. While the West can't coordinate or direct the activities of the Indian Navy we may rely on their intentions to behave in a manner compliant with established international maritime law. At all times they are a force for law and order in the Indian Ocean and without that force American, British, and Australian naval forces would have to be greatly expanded at a time when national budgets make just maintaining what we have difficult.
We always watch these exercises with interest. Out of such we have seen a few quantum leaps in Indian naval capabilities such as successful under way replenishment, and an under water submarine missile launch. Unlike the rest of the English speaking naval world the Tigers aren't trying to maintain what they have they are becoming bigger and better every day. The West has everything to gain from their growing strength yet we seem to make no effort to get closer to this, the world's largest democracy, the largest English speaking nation, the most important regional power on the Indian Ocean, simply because our leaders are befuddled by their hard won and jealously guarded independence. Does anyone think the U.S./British relationship since 1941 could have evolved in 1830? The Indians haven't been all that long out from under the British thumb. If the English speaking community wants them in the family circle we had better adjust to the fact that they are not the exotic distant cousin seen only on rare holidays. They are already more powerful than some of the older members, they definitely are older as a civilization than all of the members, and on many points they may be wiser. They at least show the wisdom to know to guard their sovereignty carefully. Until they no longer see a partial surrender of such sovereignty as a price of admission to the club we can expect them to hold us at an arm's distance. But even at arms distance, India is a force for peace and order in the world that we need not fear and ought to court on her own terms.
FOR THE COMPLETE STORY ON THESE MANEUVERS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW:
http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=45240
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