USA Realizing That sanctioning India will be akin to a self inflicted Gun wound On itself
The S400 deal and many such other arms deal with Russia is going ahead with full steam in New Delhi, the American Administration can keep making threatening faces and jumping around like a Wild Ladhaki Kiang.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi on Monday last, for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and signing 28 agreements were perfect trigger for the American media to start howling over the weird CAATSA law of the USA, using which they have regally announced that their ROYAL HIGHNESS MAY impose sanctions against India.
However seeing the present world scenario, all sane minds have cautioned the White House, against taking any rash and foolish action. Most of the American think tanks argue for a “stronger strategic and business relations” between New Delhi and Washington DC. Strong ties with India will be highly beneficial to the USA and they must make all efforts to have it. Imposing any SANCTION will not impact India much but will badly harm USA interests all over the World.
An expert on South Asian affairs and Director in Hudson Institute, Aparna Pande told The Sunday Guardian that the deal must be looked at from “India’s strategic perspective”. Pande said: “Indian officials may speak of a historical and close relationship with Russia, but there is a strategic dimension to these ties. India wants to ensure that Russia does not get too close to China, that Russia does not sell high value military equipment to Pakistan, and that Russia continues to keep India’s interests in mind when it comes to the region. Unfortunately, Delhi has only been partially successful on all of these.
Unlike India-US relations that are multi-faceted, India’s relations with Russia are limited to the areas of energy and defence. Hence one way to ensure Russia keeps India’s interests in mind is to continue defence and energy purchases.”
Well, it’s high time that Others must realize that India no longer views world affairs from the eyes of Washington, Moscow, Beijing or any others down the lower end of the Chain. New Delhi no longer catches cold in case the forgotten London sneezes. We look at the World from our prism located in New Delhi. Yes we have very time tested friendship with Russia and we will never forget the “ threat “ demonstrated to India in 1971 by the naval task force led by USS ENTERPRISE. Next we will not easily forget the sanctions imposed in 1998, but what did it achieve for USA ?
Also we are not at all worried if Russia sells something to Pakistan. After all now the Merchants of Paris and Venice on their own have stopped selling things to Pakistan. Also we hope that Washington remembers its F86 Sabre, M48 Patton tanks and that sunk submarine of 1971 and present F16 Falcons and all other things sold to Pakistan. So please stop comparing our relationship with Russia to our relationship with USA.
Here we welcome the assessment of Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, Michael Kugelman who says “From India’s perspective, the deal certainly makes a lot of sense. India faces a major two-front threat from its two main rivals, both of them neighbors and nuclear-armed. India needs a missile defence system to strengthen its defensive capacities. And it’s only natural that India would turn to Russia, a top arms supplier for many years,” says Kugelman.
To Kugelman we just need to say that India has developed its own robust missile defence system. However it still needs a few more years to mature fully and that is why we have gone in for a few of these S400 systems so that our critical areas are covered fully. In case required we will more of these or buy other things without even a glance at Uncle Sam. And Uncle should not even think of “ punishing “ India. It is the USA which get injured badly if it happens.
In this context a statement by Kugelman, which rather hints a suggestion to India,is “But the buzz is indeed misguided, because it’s nearly unfathomable that the US would sanction New Delhi. The CAATSA legislation allows for waivers, and it should be fairly easy for the US to justify one. It can cite the fact, for example, that India has reduced its arms trade with Russia in recent years, and that many of its most recent defence deals with Moscow involve co-production arrangements as opposed to imports. ” Such hints that India should reduce its arm trade with Russia is outright hilarious in the least.
Kuelmanji, no one in India asking the USA for a WAIVER, this should be clear to all, just try and go ahead with your so called sanctions and see the fun. At the least we too will impose reciprocal SANCTION on USA.
The US still views Russia as a threat both on the domestic and global front; India believes China is the bigger threat and that Russia can be weaned away from China. However just a food for thought.
India and China have co existed for more than 6000 years as great Nations with hundreds of dynasties ruling both. Only major fight and that just a SKIRMISH with few brigades in action, took place in 1962. Now just like the unilateral withdrawal done in 1962 by the PLA in Arunachal, if the Chinese do a similar thing by vacating entire Ladhak including Aksai Chin, then what ? Can any one then face BRICS nations or just India China in any field?
The US has no choice but to accept India’s multipolar diplomacy. India will be a friend on equal terms.
The New Delhi-Moscow meeting gave out a strong diplomatic message. India will maintain with a very strong relationship with Russia, no matter what. It will also continue to maintain friendly relationship with Israel and France and many others too.
That India may get angry too scenario has also been Coming up in the US think tanks. Last month, former US Ambassador to India, David C. Mulford, wrote his opinion piece in The Hill arguing, “the United States is risking its partnership with India by publicly saying it may sanction.”
Ambassador Mulford, who is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution in Stanford University, wrote as how “India can help the US and the world become less reliant on China.” Mulford wrote the opinion piece with John Rivera-Dirks, his co-researcher on India-US Relations Project in Hoover. They both had argued that the US must invest in India as an equal partner to bring balance to the US dependence on outsourced global manufacturing and supplies of raw materials, finished goods and services. “Whether it be steel for ships, vaccines and pharmaceuticals for disease, microchips for autos, or programmers for the software service sector, India can be a credible alternative to China,” the article noted.
Well it is the USA which has to take the initiative in ensuring that it gives no impression of a bully or an arrogant rich partner.
