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India and the United States (US) are thought to be natural allies for several
reasons. Both share a colonial history, democracy, individual freedom, religious
freedom, rule of law, and a fiercely independent spirit. Yet, both countries
have often disagreed with each other more than using their shared principles to
further their relations.
In some ways, it is easy to blame the divisions on the Cold War for the
artificial polarization. After all, each country was driven by different
compulsions. From an American point of view, Indian resistance to US ideas and
philosophies was tiresome and it was often vexed by Indian insistence on seeing
its policies with a Pakistan angle. From the Indian point of view, the US was
driven by its strategic interests to contain the Soviet Union and in that goal,
all other interests, including those of other countries, was expendable. India
saw the continued military aid to Pakistan, which saw more action against India,
as an American attempt to keep the country militarily unstable. There were many
other actions of the US that greatly alienated Indians from the US. These would
include technology denial, frequent public lectures on several topics including
Kashmir, Terrorism, and Human Rights, a demeaning visa regime and treatment of
those who sought visas, etc.
Even after the Cold War was over, the relations did not improve. After the
Soviet pullout from Afghanistan, the US just abandoned the subcontinent leaving
behind thousands of unemployed Islamic fundamentalists, billions of dollars
worth of weapons, and a Pakistan fully armed with conventional weapons and
covert nuclear weapons. Pakistan leveraged this vacuum and exploited a rapidly
sinking Indian democracy led by two incompetent Prime Ministers to create an
insurgency in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir and wreck further havoc on the Indian
economy.
When India tried to explain developments in these areas, the well financed
Pakistani lobby in the US exploited the large cohorts of Cold Warriors in the US
policy making establishment to consistently reject the Indian position. At the
height of the insurgency, a US official even went on record to question the
foundation of creation of India. While the Indian intelligentsia viewed the
gratuitous lectures on human rights, Kashmir, and Punjab, the denial of
technology regime including those from Russia with great irritation, they could
not accept the US policy of questioning the validity of the Instrument of
Accession. These developments reinforced decades of distrust among the Cold
Warrior generations and planted new seeds of doubt in the young.
Then a remarkable thing that is completely outside the control of the
Government, policy makers, and those who traditionally control bilateral
relations happened. The evolution of the Internet spawned a series of
technologies, ideas, and requirements that required several engineers.
Perennially short of qualified labor, the US corporations scoped out engineers
from all over the world to help fill this growing need. Business need, the
opportunity for economic expansion, and establishing new areas of technological
and economic dominance were the key drivers that got US companies to lobby their
policy makers for a change in immigration, bilateral, and economic policy with
India.
Being more tuned to the needs of business than India, the US reached out to
allow more Indian engineers to travel, work, immigrate, and fuel the growth of
its corporations. While there was a mild acceptance of India as an entity that
is useful, there were no major bilateral initiatives. With Punjab insurgency
under control, planned elections in Kashmir, and the appearance of the National
Human Rights Commission there were fewer sticks to beat India. Ignoring India
was the benign policy which included not appointing an Ambassador to India
While bilateral relations ambled on, another disruptive inflection occurred.
India tested nuclear weapons in May 1998 immediately followed by Pakistan. These
tests woke up policy makers in Washington and many of its allies. The US imposed
sanctions including withdrawal from the Light Combat Aircraft collaboration,
some marginal countries withdrew their Ambassadors, and others demanded a
roll-back. For the first time since independence, India refused to buck under
international pressure and insisted that it needs the weapons.
With the number of countries in the US dog house list growing rapidly, US
Administration quickly realized a couple of important realities. First, the US
realized that India was not going to roll-back its nuclear weapons program.
Second, the nuclear tests had a unanimous support in India. Third, despite a
continuous and discriminatory sanction regime of several decades, India has the
resilience of developing sophisticated conventional and nuclear weapons,
missiles, defense, and economy. Fourth, continued isolation of India meant a
termination of the largest ever economic expansion in the US. Fifth, with both
India and Pakistan in the dog house it would have no influence in the entire
geographical stretch from Singapore to Israel.
Thus began a series of unprecedented developments and actions that changed
bilateral relations to a point where India emerged as a nation that would be
seen as a reliable ally in South Asia.
First, there was the Jaswant Singh – Strobe Talbot series of talks that bridged
misunderstandings between the two nations. One of the most important outcomes of
these 14 meetings is the American realization that India and Pakistan do not
need to be hyphenated.
Second, India floated a draft nuclear policy that included land, sea, and air
based missile systems that could deliver a debilitating second strike.
Simultaneously, India also announced that it will never use its nuclear missiles
first and this bolstered confidence in India that its needs are for strategic
protection and not strategic offensive.
Third, there was a growing understanding that India’s continued emphasis on
terrorism from Pakistan is not a schoolboy complaint but a real thing. In August
1998, the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya were simultaneously bombed by
members of al Qaeda with strong roots to Pakistan creation Taliban then ruling
Afghanistan and recognized by Pakistan as a legitimate ruler.
Fourth, Pakistan’s Special Services Group and Northern Light Infantry with the
support of Kashmiri terrorists and Afghani mercenaries occupied the heights in
Kargil in May 1999 apparently without civilian sanction. India fought a
controlled war to dislodge the occupants, behaved in the most mature and
professional manner, and most importantly never overtly threatening a nuclear
war. The US intervened harshly with Pakistan on India’s side and forced an
“unconditional withdrawal” of its forces from Kargil. Instead of rubbing defeat
on Pakistan, India agreed to a negotiated settlement. It also extended a hand of
friendship to Pakistan by continuing with the “Lahore process.” This reinforced
US perceptions that India is not a rabid power-seeking nation but a responsible
power.
Fifth, Pakistan saw another coup in October 1999 with the protagonist of the
Kargil fiasco Pervez Musharraf dislodging Nawaz Sharif for trying to remove him
as the Army Chief. Compared to this power struggle and yet another failure of
democracy in Pakistan, India looked like an old reliable friend.
Sixth, the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in Nepal by Pakistani
terrorists showed how dangerous Pakistan can be. In sharp contrast, India’s
measured, albeit capitulating, response seemed unreal and won sympathy of the
world as a nation held hostage by Pakistan. While this is not exactly what a
country would aspire to gain, the change in attitude, perception, and
understanding was in India’s favor.
Seventh, US President Bill Clinton visited India in a historical visit that
included several days in India and several hours in Pakistan. Highlighting the
change in US policy, Clinton said “After 50 years of missed opportunities it is
time that America and India became better friends and stronger partners.” And
about US relationship with Pakistan he said he will “speak directly to General
Musharraf and to the Pakistani people about the steps we believe are important
to building a hopeful future for Pakistan: an early return to democracy, a
crackdown on terrorist groups, restraint on nuclear and missile programs and a
real effort to create the conditions for dialogue with India. If Pakistan takes
these steps we can get back on the path of partnership.”
Therefore, it was an unplanned series of disruptive inflections, international
developments, depreciation of Pakistan as a reliable ally, and rise of terrorism
from Pakistan that had a direct impact on the transformation of Indo-US
relationship. Having realized the fallacious origins, the two nations have made
major, if halted, steps in building bilateral relations.
The Indo-US Framework for Strategic Cooperation signed by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and US President George Bush was meant to be a turning point in
bilateral relations. While the deal to grant civilian nuclear technology and
access to materials outside the ambit of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
was significant, it is not an architecture that the nations can build on.
Instead, the two countries need to build on the following four pillars that can
ensure a lasting relationship:
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The two nations need to build strong ties in defense & security by cooperating
more on terrorism, securing trade routes, peacekeeping, and collaborating on
defense technologies.
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India and US need to collaborate better on economic development and ensuring
that the development engine of the world functions better. Specifically, they
should work towards global deregulation, liberalization, investment protection,
creating measures to protect intellectual property, improve global banking
access and protection, and ensuring free flow of business resources.
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Bilateral collaboration in education and research specifically between
universities, academics, sharing research tools, findings, and data, and
ensuring free flow of personnel and information.
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Science & Technology is the fourth area that needs deeper interaction especially
in space research, defense, futurist abstract technologies, packing technologies
into applications, and building intellectual property.
In addition to creating these four pillars that will facilitate future growth,
the countries need to focus on creating a timeline and an action plan that will
realize these broad objectives.
Defense & Security
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LeT Targeting Sensitive
Spots
Senior Indian officials took
umbrage to US comments
absolving Pakistan on the
7/11 Mumbai blasts and said
they have actionable
intelligence that the
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)
was behind the terrorist
attack and of plans to
attack sensitive spots.
<More>
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US Congress Passes Nuke Deal
After several hours of
debate, the US House of
Representatives approved the
Indo-US civilian nuclear
deal with an overwhelming
majority but has
unfortunately raked partisan
politicking in India even
though the Government looks
resolute in defending the
deal.
<More>
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US Convicts Lashkar
Operative
The US government succeeded
in convicting a 11th suspect
in what it calls the
“Virginia jihad network”
when it found a third-grade
teacher guilty of aiding the
Lashkar-e-Toiba.
<More>
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Naval Exercise with "Gipper"
The US Defense
establishment, the Pentagon
has requested a short
passage exercise between its
new super aircraft carrier
USS Ronald Reagan and the
Indian aircraft carrier INS
Viraat.
<More>
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More Indo-US Defense Ties
The Indian Defense Minister
Pranab Mukherjee has invited
international defense
vendors to jointly develop
defense equipment with the
39 labs and factories of the
Government.
<More>
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Pressure on US to Punish Pak
Increasing number of policy
makers, and opinion makers
in the US are demanding that
the US review its bogus
position of Pakistan as a
frontline ally against
terrorism and demand a firm
deadline by which it can
reign in its military and
intelligence agencies.
<More>
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India Backs US as Observer
in SAARC
Much to the chagrin of its
communist allies, the Indian
Government is
enthusiastically supporting
the inclusion of the US as
an observer of the South
Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SSARC)
in the 14th session to be
hosted in India.
<More>
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India, US Fight Piracy
The United States navy
intercepted a pirate ship
off the coast of Somalia and
captured several pirates.
<More>
Economic Development
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India May Face US Ire on WTO Failure
In response to the collapse of World Trade Organization (WTO), US Trade Representative Susan Schwab hinted that her country may end a 32-year old program of trade benefits for 13 nations, including India, as retribution for hard-nosed negotiations.
<More>
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US Sanctions on Two Indian Companies
The US government imposed sanctions on 2
Indian and 5 other companies from Russia,
North Korea, and Cuba for allegedly
supplying banned equipment and technology to
Iran held illegal by US laws but did not say
what these items were.
<More>
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US to review dumping duty on Indian shrimps
Trying to stem growing differences in trade,
the US Department of Commerce chose three
Indian shrimp exporting companies to review
their export statistic and performance to
formulate a anti-dumping duty structure for
Indian shrimp.
<More>
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US, India Focus on aviation, Tourism
A business delegation from Houston, Texas visiting New Delhi showcased a variety of business interests, ranging from tourism to oil and gas and information technology and focused on making Indian aviation, tourism, and cargo businesses its top partners.
<More>
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US Wants More Economic Reforms
US Treasury Under Secretary Timothy Adams
said that more economic structural reforms
are necessary for billions of dollars to
flood the India and create unprecedented
opportunities for the nation.
<More>
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Forum Wants Reduced Restriction on FDI
Addressing a joint meeting of Indo-US CEOs,
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram called for
more investments, technology, process, and
management experience from the US.
<More>
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US asks India Reconsider Syrian Investment
The United States submitted an aide mémoire
seeking India to reconsider its decision to
invest in a Syrian oilfield.
<More>
Education & Research
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US Cautions India on Iran’s Nuke Program
A key extremist politician leading the US Congress
International Relations Committee warned India to
act responsibly by not supporting Iran’s nuclear
ambitions and not to jeopardize Indo-US civilian
nuclear deal up for discussions in the Committee on
June 27.<More>
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US Visas to Indian Scientists Difficult
An under-reported crisis that may hit Indo-US
relations down the road is the question of US visas
to Indian Government scientists and how Indians are
being treated.<More>
Science & Technology
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Raytheon Offers AESA Radar to IAF
US defense vendor Raytheon said that it was ready to
supply the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
radar in addition to advanced medium-range
air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) if the Indian Air Force
(IAF) would choose the F-16 and F-18 fighter jets.<More>
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Indo-EU Energy Initiative
On the heals of US and India announcing Indian
participation in FutureGen project, the European and
India are set to explore alternate sources of energy
as envisaged by the recently-concluded First
India-EU Business Conference on Energy.<More>
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India & US in Futuristic
Energy Project
The United States has
invited India to
participate in a
futuristic
private-public project,
called the FutureGen
that will build a
coal-based power
generation plant that
will have zero carbon
emissions at a cost of
USD 950 million.
<More>
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No US Support for India
as Nuke Weapon State
US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said
that while the US will
“not support India
joining the Non
Proliferation Treaty as
a nuclear weapon state”
it will strive to
“include India” in the
“global nonproliferation
regime” through the
civilian nuclear deal.
<More>
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Indo-US Nuke Talks End
Positively
India and the US ended
discussions positively
on the bilateral civil
nuclear cooperation
agreement (which forms
the backbone of the
Indo-US nuclear deal) as
technical experts
prepared the broad
outline of the pact that
will be signed after US
Congress approval.
<More>
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India Signs ITER Agreement
India joined 6 other nations to sign the
International Thermonuclear Experiment Reactor (ITER)
Agreement contributing 10% of project cost with
manufactured equipment to develop a prototype
reactor that will make atomic fusion the next major
source of energy.
<More>
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ISRO & NASA in Moon Tie-up
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) & US
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) so NASA
can send 2 instruments on the Chandraayan-1 mission
to the Moon.
<More>
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