Anti-war sentiment strong in India.

Byline: Michael Carrigan For The Register-Guard

The Iraq war was opposed by millions of people around the world. In India, the war was opposed by an overwhelming majority of the people. In a poll taken March 26-27 by the weekly news magazine Outlook, 86 percent of Indians opposed the Iraq war.

Following the people's lead, on April 7 the Indian Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution deploring the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

The Iraq war was the lead story on television, it was headline news in the newspapers and it graced the covers of the weekly news magazines.

My experience traveling in India since Feb. 1 confirms these poll results. I've talked to a wide variety of Indian people - camel drivers, Buddhist monks, businessmen - and all except for one person opposed the Iraq war.

In Dharamsala where I live, there were weekly peace vigils. The protesters came from the United States, India, Tibet, Israel, the United Kingdom and many other countries.

Peace protests happened throughout India. On March 30, more than 150,000 people marched against the Iraq war in Calcutta. Effigies of President Bush were burned, and there were shouts of "Down with America!" In the Indian state of Kashmir, a two-day general strike shut down business as usual in Srinagar, the capital.

In the Outlook magazine poll, people were asked: "What do you think is America's reason to invade Iraq?" Sixty-one percent said the reason was oil. Fourteen percent said terrorism, 13 percent said weapons of mass destruction, and 12 percent said the reason for the war was to win the next election for Bush.

President Bush's belief that the U.S. can wage war any time, against anybody, with any weapon, for any reason does not sit well with the Indian people. When asked if George Bush is a warmonger, 69 percent of the poll respondents said yes.

"The concept of country dictating a regime change in another doesn't fit this century," Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said.

In the April 9 Indian Express newspaper, writer Manpreet Sethi said, "The Iraq war could make pre-emptive strikes fashionable. Certain defense analysts in India are goading the government to initiate surgical military pre-emptive strikes against Pakistan."

India and Pakistan almost went to war last year. The situation is still very tense. Both countries have fully operational nuclear weapons pointed at each other. Pakistan has said that if attacked by India, it may respond with nuclear weapons. The U.S. played a key role in preventing last year's conflict, but by attacking Iraq, the U.S. may have lost its ability to be a restraining influence in South Asia.

The law of force has taken over from the force of law in guiding U.S. foreign policy. If a country does not toe the U.S. line, it may suffer the same fate as Iraq - or, in the case of Germany and France, suffer economic retribution. The world fears the United States.

The moral, human component of U.S. foreign policy is completely gone. In Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama, spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people, relates to the world in a different way.

Whereas President Bush is a strong proponent of the use of force, the Dalai Lama believes strongly that the only sensible and intelligent way to resolve differences is through nonviolence and dialog. Whereas Bush believes that people and countries are either with him or against him, the Dalai Lama believes that all concerned, including one's enemies, own a piece of the truth.

His tireless work for peace and human rights has earned him the Nobel Peace Prize and the respect of people all over the world. Bush's eagerness to wage war on the other hand, has earned him the enmity of millions.

The U.S. ignored world opinion and defied the U.N. Security Council when it launched an unprovoked attack against Iraq, with the result that it has lost the trust and respect of the Indian people and others around the world.

Fortress America is not impregnable, as the tragic events of Sept. 11 have indicated.

Bush's foreign policy has unleashed a tidal wave of anger toward the U.S. and is endangering the American people by sowing the seeds for future terrorist attacks against the U.S.

President Bush has shown he knows how to wage war, but for the sake of the world he needs to take on the more complex and important task of waging peace.

The only "institution" in the world strong enough to take on Bush and make this happen is the American people. The world is depending on us.

Michael Carrigan is the former director of Oregon Peaceworks in Eugene, and is currently traveling and studying in India.