New Delhi: A loose international coalition is not enough to fight terrorism and Democracies have to come together to eradicate the scourge, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said on May 13.

"The United States with its global interests has much more to ask from us," he said while launching the book "Crossing the Rubicon – The shaping of India's New Foreign Policy" authored by C Raja Mohan, strategic affairs editor of 'The Hindu'.

He also emphasised that shared values and partnerships did not mean that there were no disagreements. Citing the example of Iraq, he said India stuck to its position that it would not support any action outside the UN framework. This was fairly well understood by the US, he said.

Observing that the road ahead was not going to be easy in view of a number of factors, he said, "There is political will in the US and in India to forge ahead with these relationships."

"But there are hurdles," he said while referring to problems relating to defence, technology and on the economic front between the two countries.

"So, we have to keep on engaging hoping it will one day become a full partnership," he said while candidly observing, "We have to improve ourselves. We can't be waiting for others to improve us."

Observing that the Vajpayee government's approach on the foreign policy front has been "continuity with change", Mishra said the May 1998 nuclear tests had awakened the world towards India.

"It was a difficult decision…but this government decided that there was no other way. This was something which had to be done," keeping in mind numerous factors, including the nuclear environment and the fast changing world.

Mishra said in the last five years, India has opened out to the whole world. "We have been somewhat successful in this."

He said the visit to India by President Bill Clinton in March 2000 was a "turning point" in Indo-US relations. The change in administration in Washington thereafter has not affected the momentum in intense engagement at various levels.

Former Foreign Secretary J N Dixit said with no unity among member countries, the very existence of Non Aligned Movement (NAM) came under question.

"If the NAM does not re-adjust to the new international environment, it will progressively become irrelevant," he said.

In his book, Raja Mohan examines the reworking of India's relations with the major powers at the turn of the 21st Century. It also gives behind the scene accounts of India's initiative to transform its rapport with the US, especially the Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbot talks, and its rejuvenated relationship with post- Soviet Russia.

He also examines India's management of its troubled relations with China and looks at war and peace with Pakistan.

PTI