06 Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Established September 3, 2006 hamad bin suhaim al thani chairman Opinion adel ali bin ali managing director dr hassan mohammed al ansari editor-in-chief

The US Needs A Realistic Russia Strategy ’s Hopes For

Washington must send clear signals to Putin about the kinds of behaviour the US deems unacceptable

HE suspected poisoning of Russian oppo- More recently, Trump has refused to re- sition leader Alexei Navalny underscores spond to intelligence assessments that Rus- To some sections in the Indian establishment, Harris could play a key role in a Tthe dangers Russians face for speaking out sian operatives paid bounties to Taliban against President Vladimir Putin. It’s also a fighters to kill US troops. The US should possible Biden presidency, making her a useful and influential ally to have warning to those currently protesting for avoid a rush to judgment, but the president’s democratic change in neighboring Belarus. willingness to side with the Kremlin’s version Pranay Sharma So long as Putin remains at the helm, Russia of events, rather than that of his own intelli- Tribune News Service will continue to pose a serious threat to dem- gence agencies, is disturbing. At a minimum, ocratic values, in its periphery and beyond. the White House should suspend high-level S Senator Kamala Harris’ emer- A coherent strategy to confront this chal- communication with Moscow while it con- gence on the American national lenge will be essential for the next US admin- ducts a thorough investigation. If the deaths scene has created a huge splash in istration. It should include responding more of American troops are traced back to Rus- the United States as well as in India. directly to Putin’s provocations, raising the sian operatives, the US should impose a cost But her nomination as Democratic costs for Russian misconduct and strength- that will make Putin regret those actions. presidentialU candidate Joe Biden’s running ening America’s relationships with its NATO As during the Cold War, the US should mate has led to widespread enthusiasm allies. The US shouldn’t rule out cooperation look for ways to manage tensions and reduce among different sections in India. Some with Moscow in areas of mutual interest, but the risks of catastrophic escalation. Russia have already begun to appropriate her. only when doing so demonstrably advances lacks the economic power to compete with The California senator has not visited its own security. the US, but it possesses the world’s biggest India since her mother died 11 years ago. Above all, Washington must send clear nuclear arsenal and a larger military budget She came to India, carrying her mother’s signals to Putin about the kinds of behav- than any European country. Extending and ashes, to honour her dying wish and has iour the US deems unacceptable. The Trump strengthening the New START treaty, a bi- not returned since. Born of a Jamaican fa- administration’s policies have instead been lateral arms-control agreement that’s due ther and an Indian mother, Harris is the characterised by inconstancy. Since 2017, to expire next February, is critical for the se- first woman of Black or Indian heritage — the US has imposed sanctions against Rus- curity of both countries. Seeking collabora- much less both – to be nominated to such sian individuals and some government enti- tion in areas of shared concern — on climate a key position by any major political party ties for a range of actions, from conducting change, say, or space policy — would also in America. The excitement that it has cyberattacks to meddling in Ukraine to poi- make sense. sparked in the United States and elsewhere soning a former Russian spy living in the UK Engaging with Putin, however, should not in the world, particularly India, is there- Yet the impact of these measures has been mean placating him. Consistent messaging, fore, predictable. blunted by Trump’s resistance to tougher tougher deterrence measures and resolute But many of those in India trying to beians and the elite, it has also evoked a tors of the Narendra Modi government are penalties, his acceptance of Putin’s denial support for allies are essential to a successful claim Harris as their own not only hate her wide range of emotions in an already po- hopeful that if attacks on democratic forces of interference in the 2016 election and his strategy. Continued drift will only embolden being identified as Black, they also ignore larised society. Most reacted according to in India were to continue, then the future push to welcome Russia back into the Group Putin and his operatives, to the detriment of her mixed-race parentage, highlighting their own perception of what the nomina- VP and other members of the Biden admin- of Seven club of industrial nations. America’s security and the world’s. only her Indian origins. tion meant. istration would not hesitate to pull up India. True, Harris and her sister were brought To some sections in the Indian estab- But seasoned Indian diplomats point (Tribune News Service) up by their mother, Shyamala Gopalan, af- lishment, Harris, who could play a key role out that even in the 1990s the United States ter her parents’ divorce. However, the US in a possible Biden presidency, might be a had regularly lectured India on the human senator has always identified herself as Af- useful and influential ally to have. Though rights situation in Kashmir and elsewhere rican American not Asian or Indian Ameri- bipartisan support for strong India-US ties in the country. This has not detracted India can, even though she has often stressed her could also be expected under a Democratic from defending its position and pursuing mother’s influence on her—most famously dispensation, some members of a Biden its preferred policies. with the lines: “There is no title or honour administration might tend to be over-crit- India’s stature on the international Trump’s Attacks On on earth I’ll treasure more than to say I am ical of India for its pronounced pro-Trump stage has grown substantially in the past Shyamala Gopalan Harris’s daughter.” tilt in the past few years. few decades. So have its relations with the In the American political landscape Harris’ nomination has especially en- United States, which now considers India Legal Immigration Harris has always identified herself as thused liberals in India. Reeling under a key partner in Asia. Therefore, on issues Black. But since her nomination, she has their marginalisation in a political land- where the two sides have differing posi- AMALA Harris isn’t just the first Black He endorsed a bill cutting legal immi- also been talking pointedly about her Indi- scape dominated by the Bharatiya Janata tions, discussions would likely be held be- woman on major-party presidential gration half. He issued a series of admin- an roots, perhaps in an attempt to reach out Party (BJP), the right-wing ruling party, hind closed doors, not in public. Kticket; she’s the child of immigrants, istrative decisions making the uphill trek to the nearly 4 million-strong important India’s liberals feel Harris’ presence in a Moreover, Harris, who sees herself as an economist dad from Jamaica and a to America into the steepest incline im- Indian-American constituency. During her future US administration could act as a de- a possible future president of the United cancer-researcher mom from India. The aginable. He used the pandemic as cover acceptance speech upon being nominated terrent to perceived government excesses States, may refrain from taking “too criti- pedigree speaks powerfully to the Ameri- to freeze the flow of legal immigrants as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential against democratic forces. cal” a stand against India for fear of jeop- can story, and is yet another reason Don- he had already slowed, including highly candidate on Thursday, she sent Tamils The liberals in India point out that Indi- ardising her relationship with Delhi. ald Trump should be disqualified from a skilled immigrants who bring the big- across the world into a frenzy with her line an governments have been more sensitive Of course, the entire debate is prema- second term. gest economic benefit. That has made it that “family is my uncles, my aunts and my to their image abroad than to domestic crit- ture, premised as it is on a still-hypothetical On the campaign trail, Trump claimed that much easier for many of the world’s chithis” — aunt in Tamil, one of the oldest icism. Unlike current US President Donald Democratic victory in the November 2020 to revile illegal immigration but revere the smartest, most enterprising people to Indian languages spoken in , Trump, who chose to ignore a violent com- presidential election. But as the situation legal kind. In his 2019 State of the Union choose Canada over the United States. the southern state in India, in Sri Lanka as munal clash in Delhi while he was in the pans out in the United States, Harris might speech, he one-upped himself, ad-libbing To top it off, Trump nearly doubled well as by the Tamil diaspora. Indian capital, the reaction of a Democratic be guided by pragmatism to be a long-term that he wanted to admit legal immigrants the cost of legal immigrants applying to For many in India, the “feel-good” fac- president could have been very different. player rather than a fiery human rights in “the largest numbers ever.” But led by become a US citizen, turning the Ameri- tor stems not just from Harris’ success in a Pro-BJP sections both in the United activist who could burn herself out before the ear by his notorious anti-immigrant ad- can beacon into a faint light receding on foreign country, but in the United States — States and in India, on the other hand, have 2024 — when she could be the Democratic viser Stephen Miller, Trump been building the horizon. A supposedly focused crack- the biggest stage in the “white man’s world.” already expressed their reservations about Party’s presidential candidate. roadblocks in the path of legal immigrants, down on illegal immigration became a By identifying themselves with Harris, they Harris’ track record on human rights and including the well-educated and skilled. war on the core American promise. want to bask in the glory of her success. her alleged “anti-Indian” stand. (Pranay Sharma is a Though Harris’ nomination created a Harris has established herself as a -based commentator (Tribune News Service) major splash in India, attracting both ple- strong defender of human rights. Detrac- on strategic and foreign affairs) Abe Sets Japan’s Record For Longest PM Term

Despite setting a new mark, the Japanese leader’s hospital visits have added to speculation on how much longer he may stay in office

Mari Yamaguchi “I’m making sure I’m in good health, stay in office. His support ratings have stint as prime minister was the begin- Tribune News Service and I plan to keep working hard,” Abe said, plunged to their lowest levels due to his ning of six years of annual leadership adding that he will explain his health later. handling of the coronavirus pandemic and change, remembered as an era of “re- RIME Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday Abe has acknowledged having ulcera- its severe impact on the economy, on top volving door” politics that lacked stabil- became Japan’s longest-serving leader tive colitis since he was a teenager and said of a slew of political scandals. ity and long-term policies. Pin terms of consecutive days in office, the condition has been under control. He Abe, since his return to office in When he returned to office in 2012, but there was little fanfare, as he visited has not made clear if it is related to his re- 2012, has led his ruling bloc to six na- Abe vowed to revitalise the nation and a hospital for another checkup amid con- cent health issues or hospital visits. tional election victories in the absence get its economy out of its deflationary cerns about his health. A week ago, Abe spent more than seven of viable liberal-center contenders and doldrums with his “Abenomics” formula, Abe marked his 2,799th consecutive hours at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo expanded his influence both in parlia- which combines fiscal stimulus, monetary day in office since returning to leadership for what officials said was an additional ment and among bureaucrats, despite easing, and structural reforms. in late 2012 for a second term, surpassing checkup because he didn’t have enough criticisms of autocracy. Opponents have said Abe’s time in of- the previous record set by Eisaku Sato, time during an earlier visit in June. Abe has also steadily bolstered Ja- fice has led to cronyism, autocracy, and his great-uncle, who served 2,798 straight Last week’s hospital visit triggered a pan’s defence capability and allowed the has caused more damage than benefit to days from 1964 to 1972. flurry of speculation in the Japanese me- Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Japanese Self-Defence Force to do more democracy. Abe, who turns 66 next month, became dia about the possibility that his health Suga, at a regular news conference earlier for its close ally the United States by Takashi Mikuriya, a University of To- Japan’s longest-serving prime minister was declining. Monday, brushed off worries about Abe’s stretching the interpretation of the paci- kyo politics professor, told the Asahi news- last November, combining his earlier one- Top officials from Abe’s Cabinet and health. “I see him every day, but I haven’t fist constitution. paper that Abe has raised Japan’s profile year term. His first term ended abruptly 13 the ruling party, including Finance Min- noticed anything different,” he said. His cherished goal of revising the con- in the international community, but has years ago because of health problems, fuel- ister Taro Aso, said publicly that Abe was Asked if Abe will be able serve an- stitution is still unmet, although he has made more of an impression by working ling concerns about his current condition. overworked and badly needed rest. Media other year until his current term ends stepped up his efforts to do so before his on policies than actually achieving them. The prime minister made a hospital visit members covering the prime minister’s of- in September 2021, Suga said the prime term ends. Abe and his right-wing sup- “His legacy is the fact that his (rule) for the second week in a row on Monday. fice said Abe looked tired and was moving minister is undergoing additional porters have long seen the US-drafted lasted this long, rather than details of his Abe later told reporters that he revisit- slower than usual. health exams to make sure he will be war-renouncing constitution as a legacy of achievements,” he said. ed the hospital “to get detailed results from During the past week, he has spent able to do so. Japan’s World War II defeat and humilia- last week’s checkup and have additional only a few hours a day in his office, only in His health concerns have added to tion during US occupation. (Mari Yamaguchi writes for the examination.” the afternoon. speculation on how much longer Abe may The end of his scandal-laden first Associated Press in Tokyo)

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