Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Anglosphere Allies

Christopher Hitchens has written a very trenchant piece about the Indian terrorist attacks and why the United States must stand with India.

"India is emerging in many ways as our most important ally{emphasis mine}. It is a strong regional counterweight to Russia and China. Not to romanticize it overmuch, it is a huge and officially secular federal democracy that is based, like the United States, on ethnic and confessional pluralism. Its political and economic and literary echelons speak English better than most of us do. Its parliament in New Delhi—the unbelievably diverse and dignified Lok Sabha—was viciously attacked by Islamist gangsters and nearly destroyed in December 2001, a date which ought to have made more Americans pay more attention rather than less. Since then, Bombay has been assaulted multiple times and the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan blown up with the fairly obvious cross-border collusion of the same Pakistani forces who are helping in the rebirth of the Taliban."


I have one quibble with him. India is one of our most important allies because India is part of what The Anglosphere Institute calls, well, the Anglosphere. A group of nations - all former British colonies - who share some vital commonalities; Property rights, rule of law, high frequency of English speakers, and democracy of some sort.

India, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, America, Britain, etc. are all part of this informal group of nations. And when you look at history, we have all been each other's greatest allies. India's economic strides into the modern age should not be left to chance. We, her allies, must help her during this evil time so she can continue to grow and continue to be ONE of our most important allies.

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