Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
US as 'natural allies', along with specific steps such as India's readiness to
jettison its opposition to the National Missile Defense (NMD) in a break with
Russian preferences, must have stimulated some concern in Moscow about the
wisdom of a purely India-centered approach to the subcontinent. In the context
of America's re-entry into Pakistan after the September 11 incidents, the
question that arises for India is whether Pakistan's utility for the US (and Russia)
is going to reorder their priorities to the extent that it will come at the expense of
India.
POST-SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 STRATEGIC SHIFTS
US policy shifts in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on American
soil evoke images of past Indo-US ties which tended to swing between optimism
and pessimism, mostly shaped by the extent to which the US contributed to
Pakistani 'borrowing power' to undercut India's natural advantages on the
subcontinent. In the fight against terrorism, if the US ultimately limits its focus to
terrorist groups with a global reach (that is, America), both Russia and India may
find a point of convergence against such US approach given the particular
regional threats they face.
It is becoming evident that despite the critical turnaround in American policy
toward Pakistan, there is little inclination on the part of the US to slow, let alone
reverse, the momentum in Indo-US relations. Prior to September 11, the US
objective in Pakistan was limited to preventing Pakistan from spiraling out of
control given its ongoing political, economic and strategic turmoil. In contrast,
American policy toward India was ambitious and geared to significantly
improving bilateral ties in the long run.
There has been no shift in the latter, and for the first time, both India and
Pakistan can count themselves as important partners of the US. There is
no intrinsic reason why the US cannot have good relations with India and
Pakistan simultaneously, especially if General Musharaff's s declared
commitment to shut down terrorist groups in Pakistan including those aimed at
India, and move the country in the direction of moderate Islam, is genuine and
effectively implemented. India having a larger Muslim population than Pakistan,
the promotion of moderate Islam in the region can only be a welcome
development for India.
In the short run at least, the Bush administration seems serious about
eliminating terrorism wherever it emanates from, seeing the logic of
interconnected networks which may have multiple targets, including the US. The
US pressure on Pakistan to fully abandon groups linked to terrorism is in part a
result of the desire to meet India's demands, but is also driven by its own
objective of closing down possible future terrorist breeding grounds.
