After his country's attack on terrorist - bases in Sudan and Afghanistan, the American ambassador to the UN described these as flowing from the "right of states to self-defense".The action came soon after the bombing of two American embassies in Africa, apparently by Islamic militants. Washington's logic is clear: terrorism is an act of war and should be treated as such. Obviously, the US considers retaliation a virtue. It is a pity it does not confer the same status on consistency. After all, it was only three months ago that the US administration criticised Home Minister L.K. Advani for speaking of a "proactive" policy against terrorism in Kashmir and possible "hot pursuit" into Pakistani territory. At the time, an American spokesman warned India against "cross-border pursuit of militant forces" and "foolishly and dangerously increasing tensions with its neighbours". Like in so many other spheres of international relations, America believes in one set of rules for itself and another for the rest of the world.The point here is not to build a case for a possible Indian attack on terrorists installations in Pakistan. Terrorism is a worldwide problem. To allow every aggrieved country to become a vigilante is to propound the diplomatic equivalent of the chaos theory. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Instant justice may have been a way of life in the Wild West a century and a half ago; it certainly cannot be the cornerstone of a contemporary strategic doctrine.Even so, there are two weapons the US would do well to induct into its foreign policy arsenal: sensitivity and empathy. India's sense of outrage after innocent people are massacred in, say, Doda is not qualitatively inferior to any American grief following the recent bombings in Africa. A collective endeavour will have other benefits too. The global network of terrorist agencies cannot be thwarted by piecemeal action. India and the US can yet be partners in the greater battle against these merchants of death - provided, of course, that one nation wakes up to another's realities.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 31, 1998--- ENDS ---
