THE COUNCIL OF DEMOCRACIES

According to IsraPundit, the idea is gathering steam. India, which opposed the US-led war in Iraq, nonetheless wants to form a democratic alliance with the US and Israel to counter Islamic terrorism. Such an alliance would now obviously include the UK and Australia, as well as Canada if they know what's good for them. It's not impossible to see Japan joining up, as it badly needs US support against North Korea and joining an anti-terrorist alliance would keep it in our good graces. Japan openly supported the Iraq campaign for that very reason.

Now, there's obviously an extra spin going on here as well--India has a strategic interest in driving a wedge between the US and Pakistan, which in spite of Pervez Musharraf's cooperation since 9-11 remains a stronghold for al Qaeda and probably other terror groups. Rogue elements of Pakistan's ISI seem to be functioning to some extent as al Qaeda's protective shield. The proposed US-Israeli-Indian alliance would end up dividing the US and Pakistan to some degree, and in India's dreams would give it a free hand in Kashmir. That's obviously a non-starter, but the alliance itself probably isn't. The fact is in many ways India is fighting the same war we and Israel are; Kashmiri terrorism and terrorism within India proper is almost entirely Islamic. Palestinian terrorism is Islamic. And al Qaeda terrorism is of course Islamic. This alliance may be a couple of years off, but there's no reason to conclude that it's impossible or undesirable. On the contrary, linking the world's strongest democracy with the world's largest and the world's toughest democracies has its attractions.