The 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai was an appalling crime. But then it brought the US and India closer. Stephen Cohen, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution, said this is because US citizens were also attacked. Also, he said, the Times Square bombing attempt was another incident that made the two countries see common ground.
Cohen, on a visit to India, was at the Press Club on Friday. Does he anticipate another 26/11? “There is a possibility of it happening again. What happened in Mumbai affected our interests, as US citizens were attacked too,” he said.
Cohen had earlier termed 26/11 as “brilliant stupidity”. He cautioned India on its foreign policy vis-a-vis Pakistan. “It is in your interest that the country (Pakistan) is stable. In case it collapses, it could be an opportunity or a catastrophe. But when the neighbour’s house is on fire, you do not celebrate,” he said. He based his fears on rogue elements getting into a wild goose chase of nuclear warheads in case Pakistan as a state fails.
“That country is sitting on a landmine with lightning falling all around, and that is one danger,” he said, advising all South Asian nations to be wary of a nuclear arms race. He hinted that the “too-soon” Indo-US nuclear agreement is partly to blame for this.
He said: “The Indo-US nuclear deal happened too soon. We gave too much too soon. People in Washington are not happy. They see it as a disappointment…
“Though the reasons for offering the deal to India were right, as it (India) has a good record of non-proliferation, it should also be offered to Pakistan too. China has already stepped in to help Pakistan.”
