Front Page

Our destinies are linked: Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

NEW DELHI: In a changing international order that requires global solutions, the fundamental interests of the United States and India run parallel; their destinies are linked and they must work together towards lasting world peace, the former U.S. Secretary of State, Dr Henry Kissinger, said here on Tuesday.

Delivering the keynote address at a meeting organised by Aspen Institute India on “The Emerging Power Centres of the World,” he said the centre of gravity had shifted from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, and China and India were the new emerging powers, economically and politically.

The United States’ friendship with India was not comparable to the one it had with China. Washington and New Delhi had not come closer to contain Beijing.

“The U.S.-India partnership is not dictated by any agreement but by their common interests in an international system that is characterised by a series of changes.”

The sovereignty of the state had diminished with revolutions taking place in different parts of the world that required to be dealt with globally.

Tracing the political developments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Dr. Kissinger said the ability of governments to demand sacrifice from their people and their ability to risk military conflicts had diminished with the power to influence shifting to international bodies. Even issues such as global warming needed to be addressed globally. Against such a backdrop, he called for creating a new international regime.

On nuclear proliferation, he said the world escaped a calamity during the Cold War as only two countries were involved. “The danger now is greater as there are many more countries with nuclear capabilities. It is not a national problem of the U.S., but a problem that requires global attention.”

While the U.S., Russia, China, India and Japan were established traditional States, other parts of the world were in a state of transition; they needed global help in finding solutions to their problems. Citing the example of Iran, he said the U.S. should be prepared to negotiate with Tehran. Other countries must impress upon Iran to reciprocate in resolving the nuclear issue.

Dr. Kissinger called for a revision of the Security Council as its permanent members were not comfortable with the new power shift. The question of veto power must also be addressed.

“There are changes in the established order within which the economic order is becoming globalised and the political order is following a different route. But the political order has to handle the economic order. How it is to be done is a new challenge that the world faces,” he said.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu