War And Peace II
In the Moscow Declaration Against Terrorism, Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Putin have reiterated friendship between India and Russia during peace time and shared firepower in case of war with a third party.

Inside The Secret World Of Bin Laden
Exclusive excerpts from Peter L. Bergen's Holy War, Inc. Currently terrorism analyst for CNN, Bergen met bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1997. His book is a sprawling thriller on the world's most wanted fugitive and his empire of terror.

Clash Of Comrades
Bhattacharya's economic reforms are stymied by differences with Politburo purists.

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

There is the shadowy world of terrorism but there is an equally shadowy world of diplomacy with its own code of conduct and jargon. There are meetings between countries which are public knowledge, but there are many that are held secretly. The record of these are in documents classified under names like 'aide memoires', 'non-papers', 'summary record of discussions', each with a special meaning.

CHAWLA AT WORK: Tracking news in the corridors of power

India Today gained exclusive access to one such non-paper (a draft proposal for discussions) which revealed in detail what the US would like of India in their present war against Afghanistan and also for the long term. It gives an insight into America's changing view of the world after September 11. It is quite apparent that it is in a desperate search for reliable allies in Asia. It is worried about China's growing hegemony in this troubled region.

With Islamic fundamentalism on the rise, the US finds its present bases in the Gulf potentially unstable. Other countries in Asia, like Malaysia and Indonesia, have large Muslim populations which at present the US is not inclined to trust. This is where it sees India as a natural military ally-a secular democracy with a professional army and an English-speaking elite. What the US has proposed is truly radical. Although the Government's Cabinet Committee on Security has spurned the initial overtures, this may not be the last word. The proposal raises many questions which will make for a lively debate in the months to come.

This story was unearthed by Editor Prabhu Chawla and adds to his reputation as an investigative journalist with great reach in the corridors of power. Chawla says, "My primary job is to report the news and leave the interpretations to others to bother about." The implications of this story are far-reaching. It can alter the way the world perceives India, the manner in which India sees itself in relation to global superpowers and the role it plays in the emerging scenarios in Asia.

(Aroon Purie)

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