The diplomatic relationship between India and the United States, while marked by growing economic ties and strategic cooperation, grapples with a persistent challenge – the struggle to align India within the framework of Washington’s global strategy in a manner that resonates with India’s national self-esteem and ambitious aspirations. Despite the evident progress in their partnership, a palpable undercurrent of friction emerges from the perceived inability of the United States to accord India a position that genuinely reflects its standing on the world stage. One illustrative example lies in the realm of defense agreements. While the United States and India have deepened their defense cooperation, including joint military exercises and significant arms deals, there remains a discernible reluctance to fully endorse India as a strategic partner. The absence of India from the United States’ major security frameworks, such as NATO, contributes to a sense of exclusion, potentially hindering the realization of a comprehensive alliance.
Moreover, divergent approaches on geopolitical issues, such as the United States’ engagements in the Indo-Pacific and it’s evolving dynamics with China, further underline the challenges in aligning their global strategies. The nuances in their respective stances on key international affairs, coupled with Washington’s delicate balance in managing its relationships in the region, create friction that reflects the struggle to harmonize India’s national self-esteem and ambitions with the United States’ overarching global strategy. As India continues to assert its role on the world stage, resolving this discrepancy becomes crucial for fortifying the Indo-U.S. partnership and fostering a more cohesive and mutually satisfying alliance.
Tag: Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Decoding the Question:
- In the Introduction, try to briefly write about India-US relations.
- In Body,
- Discuss the friction between the relationship of India and the US.
- Can also mention areas of convergence.
- In Conclusion, try to summarize the relations and suggest a way forward.
Answer:
Post-Cold War global politics is witnessing changes in the power equation. The relationship between India and the US witnessed the most dramatic transformation. In 2016, the United States designated India as a ‘major defense partner’, a status unique to India. However, recently, the US foreign and economic policies have started to appear against India’s self-esteem and ambitions. Several issues introduce friction between what the US considers its global strategy and what India envisages as its self-esteem and ambitions.
Friction Between the Relationship between India and the US:
Trade, Tariffs, and Visa Regimes: The US’s “America First” policy and repeated references to India’s tariffs on American products such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles reflect the increasing trade differences. Besides slapping tariffs of 25% and 10% on steel and aluminum imports, Trump has also repeatedly cited the US trade deficit with India. The US administration has taken several steps to revamp the H-1B visa program and related visas that have hit thousands of Indians, the largest beneficiaries of these visas.
Sanctions on Iran: The US’ West Asia policy is aligned in line with that of Israel and Saudi Arabia which stands adversarial to that of Iran. But for India, a strong, united, and peaceful Iran holds significance not only for its oil imports but also for the Chabahar port and International North-South Transport Corridor (INTC) that will enable India to have a reach to Central Asia and counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, this stands opposed to the US policy of restricting Iran’s influence in the region. The US has pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement and subsequently imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on Iran.
Sanctions on Afghanistan: Political development in Kabul has always had its implications in New Delhi. The situation in Afghanistan also poses security risks for India given Pakistan’s proximity to the Taliban. This is more so given India’s huge investments in Afghanistan to bring peace and stability there. However, the US policy has moved to focus on its withdrawal of troops. Any peace deal with the Taliban, an insurgent body, will legitimize the terrorist activities and hurt India’s interests.
Sanctions on Russia: India’s strategic relations with Russia have historically been very significant and useful given Russia’s veto power at the Security Council. Russia is also the major defense partner of India. It is also emerging as a major option to meet India’s energy requirements. But, as bequeathed by the Cold War, the US considers Russia as its adversary and it has brought Russia under the CAATSA. This stood opposed to India’s defense deals with Russia involving the S-400 missile systems.
Climate Change: The US withdrew itself from the Paris Accord on climate change, but India has reiterated its commitment to fight global warming through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance.
Areas of Convergence:
- Terrorism and Pakistan: There has been a marked convergence in the positions adopted by India and the US on terrorism, especially the activities of Pakistan-based terror groups such as LeT and JeM.
- Afghanistan: Both the US and have backed Afghan-led efforts for peace in the war-torn country and the US’s new South Asia policy called on India to provide more economic and development assistance in Afghanistan.
- Security and Defence Cooperation: From the rechristening of the Asia-Pacific region as the Indo-Pacific to underline India’s central role in the region to the revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue of India, the US, Australia and Japan and the new 2+2 dialogue format involving the foreign and defense ministers, this is another area which has witnessed a tremendous convergence between the two sides.
India’s foreign policy shows a mix of balancing and hedging of interests, while some analysts would like to call the new India-US partnership bandwagoning with the hegemon. Recently the National Defense Strategy (2018) of the US, identified India as an ideal balancer against rising China. India should follow strategic hedging i.e. simultaneous engagements with major powers to secure its national interests.
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