Exclusion of India from East Asia deliberations.

The North Korean nuclear problem is essentially an east Asian problem. But why Russia is part of the six party talks while India is not part of the nations which are discussing and solving the problem. The nuclear armed North korea is a rogue nation according to western pandits because it
1. counter feits dollars
2. Sells missiles and missile technology to nations like Pakistan, Myanmar and african nations.
3. Kidnapped japanese and south koreans for intelligence operations(during cold war)
4. essentially a dictatorship ruled by a meghanolophic person who is unpredictable.
5. Its people do not have anything to eat and suffers from famine and lack human rights.

Its actions does not essentially affect indias security unless it sells missile technology to pakistan. But is this contention true? If american pundits are to be believed North korea is a vassal state of china and then why should it sell missiles to Pakistan which is closely aligned with China itself. Why cannot Pakistan buy them from china itself? If North is selling Missiles denied by china ;then North korea is not a vassal state of china. North Korea sells weapons and missiles for its own survival and China in my opinion DISAPPROVES OF THEM. ACTUALLY an independent thinking North which is likely to merge with south will form a credible detterent power and China is vary of it. It is china which was more interested in defanging North more than Japan itself. The conventional army of North Korea is a solid force and well trained. i think it is in Indias interest to maintain a close relationship with the North. American tend to do things for the short range interest and fail to look at unified Korea in the long run. We should have supported North,s quest for independent nuclear detterence and everyone would have noticed.The following report by Armitage just gives LIP SUPPORT TO EMERGING INDIA while actually respecting EMERGING CHINA.


ARMITAGE/NYE REPORT a view from Beijing.

The US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently released a new report entitled, "The US-Japan Alliance: Getting Asia Right through 2020". The primary authors of the report are Richard L. Armitage and Joseph S. Nye. Like the "The United States and Japan: Advancing Toward a Mature Partnership", a report issued by Ambassador Armitage and Dr. Nye in 2000, this report continues to emphasize the importance of the US-Japan alliance and the role of Japan in the US' Asia strategy. Unlike the first report, however, which was directed specifically at correcting the Clinton's Administration's tendency to neglect Japan and strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the new report also addresses ways in which the alliance could have a positive influence on the future of Asia.
Half of the new report is centered on Asia until 2020. It predicts what the major Asian powers
(China, India, Korea and Russia) will look like in 2020, and touches on changes in the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia, as well as the regional integration progress. The authors say that US foreign policy in recent years has been characterized by an increasing willingness to welcome emerging powers, particularly China and India, into world leadership roles. Rarely do Armitage and Nye bring India into the strategic balance in East Asia. They suggest the United States and Japan improve their strategic relationship with India, thus promoting India's strategic status in the US' Asia policy.
The new report focuses on "the evolving structure of East Asian international relations" and dealing with the rise of China. Like the authors of the "US Quadrennial Defense Review Report" and the "National Security Strategy Report" released in 2006, Armitage and Nye are "uncertain" about the direction of China's development, suggesting that China will either become a "responsible stakeholder" or a threat to its neighboring countries. Nevertheless, the report recognizes the strategic importance of China and finds that the United States and Japan are the countries most affected by the direction of China's development. "Stability in East Asia will rest on a triangle of US-Japan-China relations," the report's authors argued. Although the United States is closely allied with Japan, Washington should "encourage good relations among all three."
With regard to dealing with the rise of China, the report finds that "a bipolar structure with only the United States and Japan facing China would be ineffective", and repeatedly calls on the US to strengthen its ties with Japan to cope with China. In recent years, the two countries have cooperated on many issues involving China, such as asking the Chinese government to improve the transparency of its military operations and opposing the lifting of a European arms embargo. Such practices will only increase mistrust between China and, Japan and the US and is not conducive to the promotion of "friendly and cooperative relations."
Armitage continues to regard the strengthening of the US-Japan alliance as essential to "shaping the future of Asia." It calls for a focus on Asia and expresses concern about China's expanding influence in the region, which may "gradually weaken" the influence of the United States. The authors encourage Japan to play a greater political and security role in Asia and recommend that the US allows Japan to become the "Britain of the Far East." They place the burden of hope on Japan, urging it to loosen "self-restraint" in military and security, become more flexible when it comes to sending troops overseas, and increase investment in arms. They also support Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
The report's emphasis on the US-Japan relationship reflects the US' "pro-Japan and anti-China" policy. The authors regard Japan as a country of "global impact" and are worried that the US has not paid enough attention to Japan. They do not want Sino-US relations to be stronger than US-Japan relations. In spite of some positive suggestions, the report is still largely ideological and continues to promote the US' position in East Asia, based on the US-Japan alliance.
By People's Daily Online; The author, Sun Ru, is associate research fellow with the Institute of American Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations