This is only an initial quick reaction, but this story about India’s growing ties with Iran strikes me as a sobering indicator of a dangerous future. The United States is moving toward a nuclear alliance with India, even at some risk to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The idea is to buck up a key ally against Islamist terror. But now India seems to be seeking ties with Iran, perhaps raising worries of a leak of American technology and security know-how to Iran.

An India-Iran connection may seem odd, in light of India’s interest in facing down Islamist terror. But India’s real concern is Pakistan. In a world of nuclear proliferation, Iran’s Shiite bomb will be countered by Sunni bombs in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and perhaps other Gulf states. These bombs would likely be created with Pakistani technological assistance. So in simultaneously dealing with America and Iran, India is simply trying to gather all available balancing forces against its rival Pakistan. From our point of view, this is a disastrous break in the firewall we’re trying to set up against Islamist terror. From India’s point of view, this is good positioning against Pakistan.

All this is a foreshadowing of a world in which Iran has the bomb. Once Iran has nuclear arms, and other Islamic states follow, we’ll see ever-shifting alliances, in which American will be only one player, not much more powerful than any other player. We will lose allies and/or see our technology going to our enemies through friends who are not entirely our friends. The total effect will be a drastic diminution of American power. In a sense, it’s already happening. India’s move toward Iran is already probably influenced by a judgement that Iran will soon be nuclear, and is unlikely to be stopped by the West. Are we really ready for this new world?