Daily Times

The growing intimacy between India and USA is a result of Indo-US convergence on India’s regional net security provider status which is regionally contested by Pakistan and China. India seeks to play the role of the regional net security provider in order to obtain support from the US and its allies for lobbying India to be recognised as great power by making imprints on the international system. Indian ambition to attain a permanent seat at UNSC, US support for unconditional membership of NPT (Nuclear non-proliferation treaty), bid to join Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) and play a mediatory role in Afghan peace process stems from this ambitious self-assumed role and its national self-image of great power.

US has two major strategic interests under the ambit of Asia rebalancing strategy which compels it to seek cooperation from India, due to mutual convergence of interests. These interests are India’s support in Afghanistan for making US military presence a success story to achieve its political objective of a favourable regime in Afghanistan and US’ bid for containment of China in order to maintain US’ global supremacy. India as a potential ally of the US has fostered an image of India as the regional net security provider, a partner in managing Asia’s strategic affairs according to the US’ terms.

India also wants to increase its strategic presence in Afghanistan as leverage against Pakistan and make a national bid for containment of China as a strategic competitor in order to materialize its dream of regional supremacy.

Indo-US cooperation started in 1992, with the signing of the first military cooperation MoU which transformed it into the first military cooperation pact of 1995, and which reached its pinnacle in 2005, by forming a strategic partnership agreement. From then onwards, the US’ strategic community considers India as a ‘natural ally’. Mitigating effects of China’s rise is another major component of the Indo-US realignment. There is a growing conviction in US’ strategic community that India is ready to share the burden of the international system management as the regional net security provider in liaison with the US.

This tendency of seeking India’s cooperation has developed historically. In 2001, briefing US congress, Colin Powell told Senate that ‘‘India has the potential to help keep the peace in the vast Indian Ocean area and its periphery”. Similarly, in 2006, US National Security Strategy (NSS) document cited “India’s role ‘to shoulder global obligations in cooperation with the United States in a way suiting a major power”. Again in 2015, NSS further endorsed that “India has emerged suitable to play role of regional security provider in more explicit terms than ever before”.

President Donald Trump emphasized need of India’s support for his administration in his August 2016, ‘US South Asia and Afghanistan Policy’ speech where he indicated that India was a “regional stability burden sharing force”. He emphasized that India can act as a stabilizing force in this region. India has reciprocated the US’ incentive by taking active role in an Afghan peace process initiative by hosting a Heart of Asia dialogue on Afghanistan and doing effective anti-Pakistan propaganda in internal politics of Afghanistan in order to make Afghan regime hostile towards Pakistan.

Historically, India has conceived net security provider role for itself in the region which is the current manifestation of India’s regional policy. In 2013, Manmohan Singh, then Prime Minister of India argued that India’s geostrategic location offers it a role of ‘a net provider of security’ in its immediate region and beyond.

The US has offered unprecedented military technology transfers to India

The US has offered unprecedented military technology transfers to India, including 2008, Indo-US civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement, the recent signing of F-16 fighter jets deals and assistance in building of India’s indigenous aircraft carrier, which would meaningfully augment India’s military power-projection capabilities. India has used its special relations with America to increase its political role and presence in Afghanistan by portraying Pakistan as part of the problem in Afghanistan. India has gained significant strategic and military advantages from the US by signing three foundational military cooperation agreements including COMCASA in 2018, during 2+2 dialogue.

Main pitfall of this growing Indo-US engagement is divergence of Pak-US perspective on the settlement of Afghan problem and deteriorated Pak-US relations. India continues to create propaganda of projecting Pakistan as pariah nation, an epicentre of terrorism and part of problem in Afghanistan. The US’ failure in Afghanistan in terms of military solution and Indian propaganda against Pakistan has created problems engulfing security of Pakistan and strategic stability of the region. Pakistan’s perspective on Afghanistan has remained consistent by advocating political settlement through Afghan led-Afghan owned inclusive peace process including Afghan Taliban as national stakeholder.

Recently, the US has lobbied in FATF to place Pakistan on the grey list as coercion mechanism for obtaining cooperation from Pakistan on its given conditions in Afghanistan which has become major irritant in Pakistan-US ties. President Trump administration has withheld (CSD) coalition support fund for Pakistan and cut off military training program opportunities in 2018.

This has further aggravated in deteriorating Pak-US ties. Pakistan needs to address these challenges under the backdrop of changing regional and global geostrategic environment. Growing Pak-Russia engagement, increasing Pak-China strategic cooperation, Pak’s approach to GCC states and signing of SCO membership can be seen in this perspective as Pakistan’s effort to rebalance and mitigate the effects of the emerging strategic environment in South Asia.

The author holds M Phil in International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University. He is an independent political analyst. His areas of interest are Geopolitics, Politics of South Asia, Analysis of India-Pakistan Defence and Foreign policy

Published in Daily Times, November 1^st 2018.