India-US relations The shock of the new

This artide is intended to be read alongside that of Ryan Touhey in this issue. His article argues that Canada's relationship with India has more closely con fonned to that of the US than many Canadian students of Indian foreign policy have realized. Alert readers of the two articles will note that the only major difference in outlook between Canada and the United States on India over recent decades occurred as a result of the influence during the .r98os of the "free Khalistan movement," struggling for independence of India's Pun jab state, on elements of the Sikh community in Canada, ultimately involving acts of terrorism-notably the destruction mid-flight with great loss of life ofan Air India aircraft in 1985. Indian officials believed Canadians ones were not taking the threat seriously enough and were doing too little to combat it. This added an Indian grievance to the Canadian one over India's 1974 nuclear test (which also greatly preoccupied the US.) Arguably, other differences arise mainly from a "great power" perspective in Washington relative to a "middle power" view in Ottawa, and to Indian perceptions of the relative importance internationally of the two countries.