By Dr Subhash Kapila
US President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to have put United States and India on an epochal strategic journey going by both the symbolism and their substantive declarations this January 26 2015 weekend.
United States and India presently have relatively young, bold and visionary leaders who have expansive visions on the future course of United States-India relations. They have spelt out their respective visions and the strategic, political and economic blueprint that they have in mind and India would now expectantly await the unfolding of their joint vision of the US-India strategic trajectory.
Sitting through a number of TV panel discussions this week-end the point repeatedly emphasised by me and that was not picked up by both the Indian print and electronic media was the more realistic connotation given by President Obama to describe US-India relations. Unlike Prime Minister Vajpayee who termed US-India relations during former President Clinton’s visit as one of “natural allies”, President Obama throughout his recently concluded India-visit described US-India relations as a “natural partners”
In my opinion the terms “allies” connotes a military alliance relationship in which is implicit also that there could be a hierarchical order and high strategic expectations. On the other hand “Natural Partners” somehow connotes a more equal relationship of shared endeavours and without overly high strategic expectations.
Strategic, military, political and economic aspects of the envisioned US-India relationship stood substantially covered by both the leaders in their pronouncements as well as the official statements.
Strategically, it is obvious that the United States with the contextual international and regional security environment has visualised that India has a pivotal role in the maintenance of security and stability especially in the Asia Pacific. The US President voiced his sentiments as such on this aspect.
The emphasis by President Obama on the South China Sea and Indian Ocean security and equally voiced by the Indian Prime Minister demonstrated that sizeable strategic convergence exists between the two nations. It can now be expected that greater cooperation between the United States and India would now ensue with more vigour.
On the military side with the ten-year extension of the Defence Cooperation Agreement which so far was rather inert during the last Indian regime one could see a spurt of defence cooperation including more meaningful intelligence cooperation in the counter-terrorism field.
The Defence Trade and Technology Initiative promises that the United States would now partner in a more substantive measure in the joint development of defence technologies and co-production of defence equipment. Some pilot projects stand spelt out as pathfinder projects.
This could assist India in military-capacity building of its operational profiles to reduce the asymmetric differential in respect some of the military threats that India faces.
Politically, President Obama vocally and strongly recommended India’s candidature as Permanent Member of the UN Security Council and this seconding by the solitary global superpower itself is an indicator of the new stature of India in US strategic perceptions.
Economically, what President Obama announced at the CII-FICCI US-India business Summit in terms of US involvement, commitments and contributions to India in economic growth would have been music to PM Modi’s ears as it would give concrete shape to his ‘India First’ and economic development priorities.
Some policy analysts would like to maintain that the United States has in the past reneged on its promises in terms of the US-India Strategic Partnership implicit commitments.True to a large extent but then it must be remembered that there is always a new beginning. The present personal chemistry between President Obama and PM Modi suggests that a new journey has begun in this direction.
To a great extent the new rise in the image perceptions of India as a nation to be counted has to be credited to the person of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his appearing on the Indian stage as a bold and decisive leader with a strategic vision to restore India on its great power trajectory.
Concluding, I would like to add as a policy analyst, that what US President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have achieved in the January 2015 visit of the US President is the “restoration of strategic trust” between the United States and India which could now mark the commencement of an epochal “Natural Partnership”.
(Dr Subhash Kapila is a graduate of the Royal British Army Staff College, Camberley and combines a rich experience of Indian Army, Cabinet Secretariat, and diplomatic assignments in Bhutan, Japan, South Korea and USA. Currently, Consultant International Relations & Strategic Affairs with South Asia Analysis Group. He can be reached at drsubhashkapila.007@gmail.com)
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