India’s new role

Is India taking a backseat under the Obama dispensation?

This is the growing apprehension among foreign policy wonks in New Delhi. The perception is that US president Barack Obama is more concerned about Pakistan and Afghanistan and India does not figure in the American south Asian strategy, at least not to the extent that it did under George W Bush. The reality may be different. Firstly it is too early to say if India has fallen off the Obama foreign policy radar. Secondly, Obama’s interest in Afghanistan, where his troops are fighting and Pakistan, which is the epicentre of much global terrorism, is understandable.

But there is evidence that India is moving to centre stage in the region and the Americans realise that any moves here need to involve India. US special envoy to Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) Richard Holbrooke has set the record straight as it were when he stated categorically at a press conference on Wednesday that he was in the Capital to apprise the Indian government about the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said that Washington was not making any request on behalf of Pakistan or the US with regard to India-Pakistan bilateral relations. This was not a mere polite statement to please the hosts. The Americans recognise that India is a key player in south Asia.

It would also be inaccurate to jump to the conclusion that the Americans are dragging India into the Afghanistan quagmire. There is no doubt that the situation in Afghanistan is not encouraging but it does not follow that a stronger Indian presence in Kabul is required, as many fear. It is also evident that the Americans are listening intently to the Indian viewpoint.

Interestingly, Holbrooke observed that under the Clinton and Bush presidencies, India-US relations were focused on bilateral relations, including the civil nuclear deal. He said that president Obama and secretary of state Hillary Clinton want to shift the focus now to regional issues. There cannot be a clearer hint that the Americans now value India for its position in the region in political, economic and strategic terms rather than merely as a bilateral partner. It was a role that Pakistan played for the US through the Cold War years. With Pakistan in a political and economic mess, it is but natural that the Americans should turn to the only stable polity in the region. This certainly requires new thinking in the Indian strategic and political community.