Nuclear Deal Politics

It is obvious that the U.S.A. expects India to be on their side when it comes to the Iranian nuclear programme issue.It would have to be a very canny balancing act that the Indian government will have to employ.The U.S.A. wants to get as many countries as possible in their camp to squeeze and isolate the Iranians because that is in their national and geopolitical interest.Many U.S.A.senators and Congressmen, more from the Democrat side and some belonging to the Republican camp, are of the view that the nuclear deal can be used as a justifiable reason to exert pressure on India to vote against the Iranians.The awfully messed up Iraq war has only increased Iranian influence in the region making Iran a hugely relevant player in Iraq which has only worsened matters for the U.S.A. That wasn't the case during the secular rule of Saddam Hussain. Yes, for all his ills, Saddam was remarkably secular and a modernist. Now, with him gone, theocratic Iran will play an influential role in Iraq with Iraq being a Shia majority country, mirroring Iran in this case. So, if the U.S. expected Iraq to be a beacon of 'Western style liberal democracy', then that is definitely not going to materialise.The Indian government can't afford to be a fencesitter in the issue of the nuclear deal and will have to take some tough decisions pertaining to our national interests and not let domestic politics dictate Indian foreign policy.