The analyses in Louise O'Brien's Aug. 19 letter, "India should not look to NATO," and in Ramesh Thakur's Aug. 15 article, "India and Pakistan: Come and dream with me," are wrong. As an ethnic Indian, Thakur especially should know the history of India since the seventh century, when Muslims first invaded India.

Since then, there has been no peace between Muslims and non-Muslims on the Indian subcontinent. The British only had to exploit that enmity by supporting one against the other.

Today's reality is just as grim. India now faces two nuclear-armed enemies, China and Pakistan. India's long-standing friend, the Soviet Union, is dead, and Russia is an unreliable ally. In this situation, there is no option for unrealistic dreams. India must ally itself with the United States and Israel to defend itself. Neither China nor the Muslims can ever be India's friend given the history.

American multinational companies are China's greatest friends, and the U.S. government is a prisoner of these big corporations. That's the main reason why India is still not an ally of the U.S.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

dipak basu