Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
and commentators in India who enjoyed taking a more aggressive stance. The drift had
increased as the Indian government and the country's economy became weaker. The stra-
tegic dialogue was continuing but no top leader in either country was consistently pushing
it ahead. officials also said that there were not enough senior diplomats and other experts,
especially in India, to run all the areas of co-operation effectively. Adding to the problem
was what two policy analysts had earlier called the 'inertia of the mid-level bureaucracy
other priorities, though the US had had India in its sights when he responded to China's
growing regional ambitions by launching a new 'pivot' towards Asia in November 2011
(later softened to a 'rebalancing' of America's Asia focus). Manmohan Singh also had oth-
er priorities in India, so it was back to chalta hai.
Kanwal Sibal, while recognizing the benefits of the new relationship, reflected the con-
tinuing wariness of America felt by many when he told me a year before the Khobragade
row that the US had done more than any other country to damage India strategically over
the previous 60 years. It had done this 'directly by curbing the development of India's stra-
tegic capabilities, by imposing nuclear and space and missile related sanctions, and by ap-
India on territorial issues by backing Pakistan on the disputed territory of Kashmir. 'Now
the US is undoing a lot of those negative attitudes and expect us to be pro-them, but we
say “you are only undoing things you did against us, so we owe you little”. By contrast,
says Sibal, who was ambassador in Moscow after retiring as foreign secretary, 'Russia has
rarely let India down'.
Much has however been achieved, and a lasting 'strategic partnership, not an alliance'
on how America's initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region play out, especially with China. In-
dia's role will depend on its reactions as those events unfold, and whether it has the will -
and maybe one day the economic strength - to play a leading role in world affairs. Either
way, the new relationship with the US has to be seen as a positive development, provided
India maintains its independence as a friend and occasional partner but not an ally.
Notes
Open Doors Data, Institute of International Education,
http://www.iie.org/Research-
