MUMBAI UPDATE….India ups the ante in its relationship with Pakistan:
With tensions high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Indian foreign minister said Tuesday his country had demanded that Pakistan arrest and hand over about 20 people wanted under Indian law as fugitives.
….The demand was made when India summoned Pakistan’s ambassador on Monday evening and told him that Pakistanis were responsible for the terrorist attacks here last week and must be punished.
This isn’t surprising, I guess, since (so far) the evidence suggests that Pakistani terrorists were indeed behind the Mumbai attacks. Offhand, though, I’d say it’s unlikely that Pakistan agrees to India’s demands, which means tensions over Kashmir will continue to mount. However, considering that both nations are now nuclear powers and that the United States has obvious interests in terrorism in the region, perhaps that means they might both be a little more amenable to some outside diplomacy? Time reports on Hillary Clinton’s transition into the State Department:
A key player to watch in the transition is Richard Holbrooke, one of Clinton’s closest foreign policy advisers during the primaries and a potential top player in Obama’s diplomacy now that Clinton is headed for State. Holbrooke is a career diplomat, known for being smart and effective but also hard to control and outspoken, qualities that haven’t always endeared him to certain peers in the party….Holbrooke has been talked about for top troubleshooting jobs like special envoy to the Middle East or South Asia.
This is just a flyer, but it’s hard not to wonder if Holbrooke might be able to do some good here. Stay tuned.
