All these sound like harmless forums for promoting cooperation in various sectors. But the reality is different. On the trade front, the United States is relentlessly pursuing the inclusion of the labour and environmental standards in trade which will work against the interests of all the third world countries. The science and technology forum is going to function in the background of several technology sanctions against India which have been in place for three decades. In such a situation, India would be accepting an unequal regime based on US controls.

The environmental agreement signed during the visit has been called a "terrible mistake" by an Indian expert on the power sector. Dr R K Pachouri, director of the Tata Energy Institute, has stated that "we have played into the hands of the US." Under the agreement India is committed to increase power generation from renewable sources to 10 per cent. This would be prohibitively expensive for the country. At the same time, agreeing to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by India, without the US committing to ratify the Kyoto protocol which commits the US to a 7 per cent reduction in emissions of global warming gases by 2012, is another climb-down by India.

Alongside these surrenders on the economic front, President Clinton announced the setting up of an Asian Centre for Democratic Governance at New Delhi. This centre will be funded by the National Endowment for Democracy which is financed by the US state department. The Indian partner will be none other than the Confederation of Indian Industry which is the cheer-leader in India for the American brand of democracy and free markets.

The ease with which the economic agenda of the US has been adopted during the Clinton visit, has been overlooked by the media. This aspect of the Clinton visit has been ignored by the mainstream media which faithfully projects the interests of the business and commercial interests who own and control the media enterprises.