The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, New Delhi

It was hardly the stuff of which a staunch U.S. ally is made. Opposition in India to a landmark nuclear deal sparked vocal anti-Americanism from leftist parties, who said the country was in danger of becoming a U.S. poodle. That rhetoric may be further emboldened by the government's apparent climb-down on the deal. But the spat cannot hide the fact the world's two biggest democracies are moving ever closer, with stronger military and diplomatic ties, while millions of middle class Indians turn to the United States for education, jobs and consumer goods. The impasse over the accord -- which had been hailed as historic by both President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- showed there may still be looming flashpoints like ties with Iran. Yet the fundamentals appear strong. "The question is not whether India's relations with the U.S. will improve or not," said Naresh Chandra, India's envoy to Washington from 1996 to 2001. "The question is at what pace they will improve."