US and us: India, Pak united in state of doubt

YANKEE DOODLING? Experts debate India-Pak-US ties with regard to America’s 'war on terror' and the N-deal.

          

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Rajdeep Sardesai

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US action in Afghanistan and Iraq seem to be at the root of such opinion with just 46 per cent Indians willing to give credit to US for establishing a democracy there. In Pakistan, the sentiment is more anti-US with only 26 per cent coming out in support of America.

Similar figures emerged in case of Iraq where a staggering 75 per cent Indians and 66 per cent Pakistanis opined that US was plundering in the name of establishing democracy there.

Cohen said he was not surprised by the public mood. While Sharma had dismissed the poll, Cohen said the findings were, indeed, reflective of public mood. “When you ask mass public these questions, you get answers reflecting public opinion. Even many Americans are critical of the American engagement in Iraq,” he said.

Another starling revelation was the figures that came up in favour and against al-Qaeda. 9/11 attacks in the US and the subsequent crackdown on al-Qaeda seems to have elicited startlingly different sentiments from India and Pakistan. While 41 per cent Indians believe al-Qaeda was responsible for 9/11 only 5 per cent Pakistanis agreed.

Surprisingly, 25 per cent of Indians and 36 per cent of Pakistanis surveyed had not even heard of the incident.

So who is responsible for 9/11 attacks? Both Indians (77 per cent) and Pakistanis (86 per cent) were united in blaming the US foreign policy. Only the remainder believed the country was a victim.

Cohen insisted the figures still didn’t surprise him. “We have seen these figures in other countries too. Pakistan in particular is anti-US. This just reflects the stereotypes and untruths that do the rounds,” he said.

The researcher dismissed the sentiment as a “mob attitude” that had no proximity with truth. “If you had a poll on film stars, you will get equally divergent opinions,” he said.

Kasuri said the finding of the poll – that Pakistani youth seemed to have a benign attitude towards al-Qaeda – were inaccurate. “How can this be true? They are killing our people too. Our soldiers have died defending the border. It depends on how the question is asked,” Kasuri defended.

Kapoor said the findings indicated that while there was a clear lack of information and knowledge among the masses, it also showed that people were deeply concerned. “In some way our leaders have to reinvent the charts to reach out to people,” she said.

US: A friend or a foe?

Nearly 38 per cent Indians felt US was more friendly with Pakistan than with India. The equation was turned on its head when Pakistanis were asked. Fifteen per cent of them said US was more friendly with India and only nine per cent said it was good with Pakistan.

Fifty-three per cent of Indians and 40 per cent Pakistanis believed that US is a friend of neither country. Sharma maintained he was skeptical about the figures. “As far as India and US go, the multi-sectoral engagement is only recent,” he said. He said the “historic handshake” between two largest democracies of the world was a positive signal.

Kasuri said whether or not US is a friend is decided by the time the question is asked. “If you asked the question to Indians at the time when the agreement on F-16s was made, they would have said US is closer to Pakistan. If you asked them during the passage of Indo-Pak deal, their opinion would change. Similar opinion goes in Pakistan,” he said.

However, Cohen closed the discussion by saying that one had to recognise that Indo-US relationship was growing faster than US-Pak relationship. “There’s an old saying ‘Yankee go home, but take me with you.’ That clearly answers how the two economies are growing together,” he wrapped up.