Should India react to US namecalling?

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June 30, 2005

Even before the ink can dry on the new defence agreement Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and United States Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld have signed, declassified documents reveal that former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger had called Indians 'bastards' and that Washington had pushed China to attack India during the 1971 war with Pakistan.

It is well known that former US president Richard Nixon and Kissinger had a poor opinion of Indians and of then prime minister Indira Gandhi in particular, but these documents show just how deep the antipathy ran.

Kissinger even referred to Indira as 'a bitch' shortly after her visit to the US, just ahead of the 1971 Indo-Pak crisis.

Should India ingore these revelations, or factor them into the intense attempts to nurture a strategic partnership with the US? What stand should India adopt?

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	Number of User Comments: 353

	Sub: should india react to US abuse No point. In fact after so many years it now emerges how immature and ill informed the US' so called foreign expert was. In fact ... Posted by kanakasabesan

	Sub: should India react to US abuse? there is no need to think of past what matters is the present.we should'nt think this matter emotionaly,rather than by mind.the present tells the need ... Posted by Sonali Patil

	Sub: strategise every pearson in this world has right 2 express themself and state their views on things.the fact remains that many US politicians have critisised india ... Posted by unknown

	Sub: name calling As a matured country we should not react to this particular episode which took place some 30 years back . But should learn a lesson ... Posted by s.k.shaw

	Sub: US abuse US is a very young and immature culture compared to the aged,ancient, matured and wise indian culture. We ought to ignore the arrogant childish outbursts ... Posted by R.J.Tapp

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