Indo-US Relations: Past, Present and Future
10 Apr, 2002 · 722
Report of the IPCS seminar held on 15 March 2002
Speaker: Amb. Dennis Kux
New Delhi
and
Washington
saw each other on opposite sides of the fence during this period. However, Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were in favour of maintaining good relations with
India
. Recently declassified papers show that Kennedy was more greatly interested in
India
than
Pakistan
. The Sino-Indian dispute in 1962 brought about enhanced bilateral cooperation between the two countries. But the 1965 Indo-Pak War undid everything;
Washington
lost interest in the region. Though President Carter showed some interest, the Afghan war witnessed
US
political support tilting again towards
Islamabad
. Reagan literally wrote off
India
. Later, in the mid-1980s the
US
strategy was to wean
India
away from the
Soviet Union
. Dramatic turn occurred in the 1990s—the Cold War was terminated with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and US-Pak relations nosedived, because of the latter’s clandestine nuclear programme.
US
is no longer looked upon as “interventionist” by
India
. One reason could be the presence of non-Congress governments in
New Delhi
.
India
is viewed as the largest democracy and emerging economic power, despite its numerous domestic problems. It is also seen as a reliable and potential partner in
Asia
if US relations sour with
China
. The Bush regime has “rediscovered”
India
. The Indian Americans’ role is significant in boosting
India
’s image in the
US
from a ‘land of the poor’ to the ‘country of brains’. NRIs are especially admired for their contributions to information technology. They are better organized than before through the India Caucus, which now includes 130 members of the House of Representatives.
India
over the new US-Pak “alliance” after September 11 and a possible reverting to the Cold War years. Despite the return of cordiality towards
Pakistan
, the
US
needs
India
. This is evident from the commencement of high level military-to-military contacts, no objection to the PHALCON radar system being procured from
Israel
, and optimism on obtaining the GE-404 engines and P3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft. Scores of mutual visits across the board is proof of improving relations. One has to understand that
US
interests in
Pakistan
is basically to prevent it from failing.
India
to tap the potential. Cooperation in the non-military nuclear energy sphere is another
greenfield
area. At the same time, the
US
, for its part, should be cautious on two fronts:
Pakistan
.
Kashmir
issue.
US
.
Kashmir
dispute. Andora type of solution is preferable in the given circumstances where
Kashmir
could be given autonomous status free from the control of both
India
and
Pakistan
. The
US
will run into problems if it gets involved in the
Kashmir
issue. It cannot influence
India
or
Pakistan
, but it can play a behind the scenes role.
India
which is refusing to encourage this.
US
has a role to influence
Pakistan
. If US could prevail on Musharraf curtail extremism, it will help the whole region.
India
is not comfortable with the
US
in regard to defence purchases; it takes a long time to deliver them with many strings attached. On the other hand, experience of working with
Russia
has been comfortable.
India
’s candidature to the permanent membership of the UN Security Council is concerned, the process is very intricate. The solution has to be global but
Washington
should support
New Delhi
’s case.
In the past, Indo-US relations were overshadowed by Cold War politics. The Indo-Soviet friendship and the US-Pak alliance were the two major irritants. Though ‘aid relations’ prevailed during 1950s and 1960s,
Presently Indo-US relations are improving leading to several official visits. Though there is the burden of history, the
There is much apprehension in
Thus the future is full of optimism. There is a common focus on combating terrorism, especially cyber terrorism. There are no major strategic issues dividing the two countries; above all, there is a strong desire to move ahead in improving bilateral relations. At the economic level, there is a possibility of more trade and investment flows. But, it is for
1. Military supplies to
2.
Discussion
· Democracy is certainly an important common structural factor for cooperation. Common political systems make relations easier; they are less likely to trip. It is precisely because of this factor that Indian Americans could adapt easily to living in the
· There are many solutions floating in the air on solving the
· It is important to have a military dialogue at the professional level. It is
· One cannot deny that the
·
· As far as support to