What are your thoughts on the idea of India sending troops to Iraq? Having been a leader of the anti-colonial movement, it is being asked to help an "occupying" force.
The basic question is whether the American presence in Iraq is a humanitarian intervention or a military occupation, and all evidence from Iraq points to the latter. Therefore, for India to participate in this occupation would be to join the United States in an illegal war, and to place India outside world opinion, which was expressed forcefully on February 15 (through anti-war protests), but which also was expressed by the refusal of the United Nations to go along with the American war. India would therefore be morally tainted, as is the United States today.
Should India oblige for the sake of improving Indo-US relations?
One might ask: should Mussolini have helped Hitler in order to better relations between the two countries? The bettering of relations by an Indian occupation of Iraq would not be augmenting a relationship of equals, but rather reinforce India’s position as subordinate to the US. If "improving relations" means subordinating basic principles of decency in order to cultivate friendship with a country which has violated those principles, then it cannot be a reason for India joining the occupation forces.
What about the moral argument that the Iraqis are suffering and a "stabilisation force" would help and the US clearly needs help to bring order?
True, the Iraqis are suffering, but there is no evidence that the United States is doing anything to relieve their suffering. Yes, it wants to bring order, but a military occupation can only bring a spurious "order". For a genuine order to come, there would have to be an international group of peacekeepers, sanctioned by the UN where the motive would be a humanitarian one and not that of the US whose "order" is intended to maintain its domination of Iraq and its oil. In an international effort, India could certainly play a role.
What would be the impact of India rejecting the US request?
I think it would show the world that India has enough pride and enough courage to reject being a tool of the United States.
