The United States is sending investigators to India to help unravel who was behind the terrorist attacks that targeted largely foreigners in the commercial and tourist center of Mumbai. Three Americans are confirmed among those injured.
The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have dominated the news in the last two days. Apparently a dozen “islamist” terrorists have attacked two different hotels, a popular cafe and a railway station, killing more than 150 people and injuring 300 others. This is not a strange story. India has been the target of terrorist attacks in the past both by Indian and Pakistani groups. But what makes these attacks significant from other previous ones is the complexity and the level of coordination of the attacks. Another important element in these attack is the alleged link that has been established between the terrorists and “some elements within the government of Pakistan”. The Indian foreign minister has already pointed the finger at Pakistan blaming them for the attacks. So already Pakistan , though involuntarily, bears responsibility for these attacks.
Barack Obama in his presidential campaigns said that the war on terror began in Afghanistan and should end there. He also said that the cross-border attacks on tribal regions of Pakistan should continue in order to curb the terrorists. In fact in his campaigns he put a lot of emphasis on the issue of Pakistan and the role that it played in global terrorism. Obama in fact believed that Pakistan was a battleground against terrorism ( as a matter of fact McCain held the same view on the issue of Pakistan, with some tactical differences)
Now this question arises: Why has the US decided to send an investigation team to India and what is it looking for there? The first possible benefit that the US could reap from the current turmoil in the relation between Pakistan and India is to gain more influence in Pakistan. The newly elected government in Pakistan ( unlike the government of General Musharaf, a close ally of the US) is not really inclined towards the US. Asef Ali Zardari, the new president of Pakistan, has officially protested to the unlawful attacks of the US unmanned helicopters on his territorial integrity. Very probably, the US would use these terrorist attacks as an excuse to put more and more pressure on the Pakistani government to “ bring it more into the line”.
The second benefit that the US could take from these attacks would be a renewed pledge from different countries of the world against the global war on terror. Undoubtedly the so-called war on terror has become one of the pillars of the US administration in the last several years. Any incident that would make the call against terrorism urgent again would certainly strengthen the global position of the US in this regard. The recent pirate attacks off the coast of Somali have renewed the calls against terrorism again. Definitely these attacks in India would be an opportunity for the US to reprioritize the issue of terrorism on the global stage.
The last advantage that the US could make out of this issue is the indirect pressure on Iran. Iran , Pakistan and India have been trying for so long to establish the gas pipeline between themselves. These attacks could sour the recently-improved relationships between these two countries once more and deprive Iran of the opportunity of selling its gas to Indian and Pakistan.
