By Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Veteran Special Forces
The first 2+2 dialogue between the U.S. and India is going to take place next week in New Delhi. American officials have already started shooting from the hip like their President. Shri Randall Schiver, one of the Assistant Defence Secretaries has just done the shooting by saying that CAATSA exemption is not to be taken for granted.
What Mr Shriver, failed to appreciate was that neither India is asking for it nor did it require to take one, India is just going ahead with whatever purchases it has negotiated with Russia. In fact Indo Russian trade is going to more than double in next few years including defence arrangements.
The said official was speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on the forthcoming meeting. U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis will be travelling to India for the dialogue, which was postponed twice earlier.
Imagine the naivety and at the same time the immaturity of this speaker who just prior to this important meeting, said that the Trump administration is mindful of India’s legacy ties with Russia, but did not appreciate its continuing defence cooperation with it, adding that he is not sure of granting a waiver to India from sanctions if it went ahead with the planned purchase of S-400 missile defence system from the Kremlin.
“We understand the historical nature of Russian relationships and the legacy involved here. We want to have a conversation with the Indians not on the past, but on the future on this. Looking at Russia’s future, that is not a country that you might want to have a relationship in the long run. We will have significant concerns if India pursued purchase of new platforms and new cooperation with Russia. I cannot specifically say what will happen if India continued with new purchases,” Mr. Schriver said.
Mr Schriver should just not worry this much about India but should concentrate on Pacific part of his responsibility only. USA has tried pressure tactics on India many a times, and in the bargain just achieved estrangement between the two biggest democracies in the World. This time, In case this talk fails then it is the USA which has to worry about its future and not India.
Also a piece of advice…..you do not visit a friendly country for talks with prior public statements like this. The talks are then bound to achieve nothing of value, such mind-sets generally lead to failure only. Hopefully both the American Ministers seem to be more matured people…..much above their boss and lackeys.
Apart from CAATSA threats, the said American officials also added that “ will discuss regional and strategic issues of Asia and also have some real outcomes.China and how to respond to it will be front and centre”. Once again, nothing like this is going to happen.Many Lowly officials have the habit or are even prompted as part of strategy, of trying to give their side some publicity and upper hand in such kind of International level talks but it should be not like this. This talk is between two countries and therefore India will discuss only bilateral issues.
There is no way that India is interested in forming an alliance with any country against China. India has the confidence and the WILL to resolve its bilateral issues with China on its own.Also India is not interested in junking its 50 years friendly relations with Russia because of a third party.
When prompted whether America would offer an alternative missile defence platform to India, the official said: “We are willing to talk to India about meeting its defence requirements and alternatives. I can say we are willing to enter into that conversation with India.” Mr Schriver, has just not considered that India may not be willing to enter into such discussions in the first place.
By now it is quite evident that the U.S administration expected some concrete outcomes on long hanging deals on communication and expanding the scope of military exercises between the countries. India and the U.S. have had many discussions and even may have the same vision of Asia Pacific but the American eagerness to work on the strategy to operationalise it is a tricky one. No way India should rush into this. India will not sign any treaty which affects our Sovereignty, all treaties have to be based on equality with proper division of responsibilities. Also no treaty will be against a third country.
Another thing, which came out of Mr Schriver’ s talks is that, in its tussle against China in the Pacific Region and also the trade war, USA wants to rope in India against China by pointing at the Chinese OBOR initiative and militarization of Sea that lies South of the Chinese Coast. Schriver said “We also need to have an alternative (to BRI), and we are talking to India on this. The same goes for military strategy. This is the conversation that will have in Delhi,” he said.
Therefore India has to interject by saying that to seek India’s support on any issue, firstly USA should totally give up its direct military support including indirect military related financial support to Pakistan. Secondly, the economic issues concerning India and USA have to be discussed simultaneously and just cannot be separated from Strategic issues any more. These long standing irritants have to be resolved now. Thirdly, USA cannot and should not even try to dictate on bilateral relations between India and any other Country…..it is not acceptable.
