Jyotirmoy Banerjee

Jihad and Counter-jihad in Germany

Historically, jihad was long encouraged by the West, a perspective which has not gained sufficient recognition in scholarly literature. Berlin played an important role in this ever since the times of Kaiser Wilhelm II till the end of Hitler’s Third Reich. The Germans, playing the game of big-power politics against primarily the British Empire, actively fanned jihad among the Muslims worldwide. Later, the USA did the same to encourage Afghan mujahideen fighters to fight back the Soviet invasion of their country in December 1979. Hence the term ‘directed jihad’, suggesting that the history of jihad in the twentieth century shows much active Western support behind the phenomenon. Paradoxically, this—at least partial—creation of the West is now turning against the latter.

Low-Intensity Conflict

29 out of 30 military actions in 1992 took place inside states. Modem weapons are freely available everywhere, to any state or faction. 90 percent of the casualties are not military but civilians caught up in local conflicts where battle lines are blurred. Ethnic, racial and religious issues turn into uncompromising demands for self-determination and sovereign independence. Witness the current turmoil in former Yugoslavia, in Russia, in regions of Africa, in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. According to James N. Rosenau, three parameters that normally sustain the global system are simultaneously increasing in complexity and dynamism. these parameters are :

Indo-Russian Relations: The Cryogenic Rocket Deal ∗

1993 lias gone down as a landmark year in the history of Indias space endeavour. Thanks to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) led by die United States,Moscow went back on its agreement to supply India with cryogenic (low-temperature) rocket technology. When Russian President Boris Yeltsin came visiting in New Delhi during 27-30 January that year, he solemnly pledged his countrys unwavering stand on die deal. He reiterated traditional Soviet support for India on die latters dispute over Kashmir with Pakistan and reaffirmed Russias support for die Delhi Declaration, which had been spawned by Gorbachevs visit to die Indian capital in 1986 2 and which was oriented to die concept of Asia-Pacific security. However, careful observers noted that the new Indo-Russian friendship treaty omitted the key security cooperation clause of die preceding 1971 Indo-Soviet friendship treaty. (Thereupon followed the drama of contradictory emanations from Moscow on the key question of the supply cryogenic rocket technology to India till Yeltsin made a complete U-turn on the issue^ Russias attitude towards that issue featured prominently in die Indian media in 1993. (India had signed die agreement widi die former Soviet Union in January 1991) On May 11 next year die Bush Administration clamped down a twoyear ban on bodi Glavkosmos, the Russian space agency, and die Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). This meant that the industrially advanced West would curb all import-export relationship regarding spacerelated materials with tiiese two agencies. Indeed, hard on the heels of Yeltsins utterance in die Indian capital, a US State-Department spokesman