US-India friendship : Pakistan shivering, China wary
By
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar
Washington has made an enormous stride in the Indo-Pacific. It always wanted India as a key geostrategic partner in its geopolitical rivalry earlier with Russia and now with China. Earlier the USA always wanted India as a junior partner, below its close lackeys like UK etc. However even in the days of old, India had refused to bow and the Non Aligned Movement had become a formidable block in itself.
Later USA and its lackeys never failed in their quest to always hyphenate between India and Pakistan. Slowly India began rising to gain its true place in the World’s affair. USA and many other Western Powers went into denial mode – refusing to acknowledge India as a major Power. Now finally has come a time when others can no longer afford to ignore India in any sphere of their activities.
Thus USA having realized this has now been forced to have friendship with India based on EQUALITY. By doing this Joe Biden’s Administration has taken the relationship one step forward. Shri Narendra Modi’ state visit to the USA has opened new horizons to further deepen cooperation between the two countries in all fields, including export of cutting-edge technologies to India. With this, the new Cooperative bloc named Quad which includes India, Japan, Australia, and the USA, has become a formidable force without being a military alliance.
Now the analysts worldwide believe that it is only India which has the domestic economic and military capabilities to not only defend itself against China but also to soon guarantee the security interests of both the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo Pacific. China now understands that Quad even without being a military bloc, with help of India can control the Chinese hegemonic power in the region
Though many analysts know that Washington’s cannot expect to dictate things to India and India will never be a lackey to run errands for the USA. India will never involve itself in a confrontation with China for the USA’s sake, unless China actually starts threatening peace in the region.
India will of course take immediate steps against China in case it tries its hegemonic power in the Himalayas or the Indian Ocean Region or threatens close friends like Vietnam. Though, it will not confront China, just because USA feels or demands. The USA and its European partners have tried everything for India to condemn Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine, but India just ignored them and now has outright refused. New Delhi and Moscow have long and deep friendship which is time tested. India has no love lost for USA in these matters. How can India forget the actions of that wretched man Nixon during the 1971 War for liberation of Bangladesh. India has always worked with all major powers for tangible benefits for Indians and has no desire to get entangled in other Powers strategic manipulations.
In the view of US policymakers, a partnership between the two biggest democracies shows the world that they are nations with a common interest. Whenever US policymakers travel to India, they sing paeans to the beauty of Indian politics. Though they have always been dubious strategies. Policy analysts in the other countries believe that the two states’ partnership is based on shared values. After becoming Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has strengthened India’s foreign policy. Now India has gained confidence to stop worrying what other countries think about India. New Delhi now views the world through its own prism. It does not catch cold if Washington or London or Beijing start sneezing. Now most of the World including the majority of the Muslim World have started acknowledging Modi as the new World leader who can bring total peace.
Beijing has warned Washington for its hypocritical diplomacy with China that hampered Chinese trade with Western countries. For Washington, India is a more pivotal power in Asia than China. India can counter China in its land border with China or choke the Chinese jugular vein (trade routes) in the Indian Ocean. In the eyes of India, the USA is the world’s largest democracy geographically, with advanced technology that could help India in achieving a faster growth and investment. However on the other side, India will continue with its close ties with Moscow without bothering about USA’s whims and fancies. India is now open to buying gap filler weapons from the West (till indigenous ones become available) but will continue to buy what it wants from Moscow.
The key members of India’s elite believe that the USA is not a reliable partner for India U.S. has no permanent foes and friends in their policy. It used Pakistan in the cold war days. The USA supported Pakistan during its Afghan involvement and ignored India. The Trump Administration finally called Pakistan’s bluff and terminated all military aid.
The USA is in no position to deal the same way with India, even when if it again gets closer to Pakistan in the future. Firstly,India does not take military aid but buys only what it wants against hard cash. Secondly, India now has the technological power to switch to indigenous items if required, India cannot be held at ransom. Since the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration has proposed a limited strategic relationship with Pakistan; however, few Washington policymakers give more weightage to Pakistan than India.
USA now knows that in case Washington’s once again starts hyphenating between India and Pakistan then India too will not hesitate to hyphenate between USA and Iran and even USA and North Korea !
China desires to sustain its supremacy in the neighbourhood so that other states in the region cannot challenge; still, it gets frightened of USA and now of India. A bloody skirmishes had broken out between China and India in 2019 in which India had 20 fatal casualties and PLA had 40 dead and nearly 40 wounded ; since then, China has been frightened by the Indian rapid and massive response. It wants things to go back to routine but India is now insisting that Indo Tibetan Border be first demarcated. Next will come the question of China vacating occupied Tibet and Shaksagam Valley. With this even Pakis will have scoot from POK.
China and Pakistan now exchange military and intelligence information on regular basis ; India has reservations that such ties between China and Pakistan will create some security headache for it in case of a major Indo Chinese conflict over Chinese Occupied Ladhak and Chinese Occupied Tibet.
