RE: Sierra Leone - foreign policy consensus?

[Kartik Ramachandran <ramachan@grinnell.edu>]

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I'm afraid that Mr. Vamsi M. does not see the broader picture of peacekeeping
operations. There are several points to consider regarding this charge that
the Indian armed forces should not serve under the UN banner in Sierra Leone.

1) As others have noted, expenses are borne by the UN, and the exposure that
our forces receive, and the international standing as a contributor to
peacekeeping missions is in our favour.

2) An international organization like the UN is critical in the world we live
in. Despite the drawbacks of a sadly inadequate body (the UN as it exists
today), its contribution is important to peacemaking and peacekeeping
endeavours. This is a contentious point for many people, but I believe that
there is a general consensus on the importance of an international
organization such as the UN, at least in its theoretical state.
   With this in mind, it is foolish to believe that we do not have an
interest
in securing peace in the world, whether it is within our borders or across
them.
   Based on your argument, perhaps we could question why someone from
Karnataka should be posted in the north. Why don't we simply let everybody
defend their own little patch of land?
   Unless, of course, you seem to want to regress into an isolationist model.

Kartik Ramachandran

>===== Original Message From debate@indiapolicy.org =====
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>Please help make the Manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!
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>Why are young Indian Men sent to Sierra Leone to be sacrificed under the
>UN banner?  Especially when UN does not and will not serve the interests
>of the Indian people and neither is there a national interest for India
>in Sierra Leone.
>
>--
>Sincerely,
>Vamsi M.
>
>
>
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This is the National Debate on System Reform.       debate@indiapolicy.org
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