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surrounded
by
victorious Bengalis.
alternative, however, is equally unat–
tainable.
First of all, nations do not voluntarily
divest themselves of national territory.
Secondly, the creation of a self–
governing Bengal would threaten the
vecy
existence of India itself, which is
a loose union of many languages and
cultures. The independence of Bengal
would only set the stage for other loud
cries of independencc. Clearly, New
Delhi would resist to the utmost all
attempts to create a united, sovereign
Bengalí nation.
Cooperation or Demise
Perhaps - but only perhaps - close
cooperation between India and its new
eastern neighbor is all that will secure
the survival of Bangladesh, given the
current political climate.
Either that
oc
Bangladesh is destined
to become a "born loser," as the united
Pakistani state was once described when
it was founded.
Clearly man's deep-seated animosities,
fears, and hatreds, compounded by his
manifold divisions - religious, politi–
cal, and ethnical, to name but a few -
dernand the intervention of an all-wise
God in human affairs. O