During his recent visit to India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described India as one of America’s most important strategic partners, but this familiar language of partnership is now sounding hollow day by day. A lot has been said about the impact of Trump’s statements and tariffs on India-US relations. But bilateral relations were under pressure long before Trump returned to the White House. In recent years, as India’s regional position has been weakened by China’s growing strategic footprint, the US has also pursued policies in the South Asia region that have ignored – and at times directly contradicted – Indian interests. Bangladesh is a clear example of this. The US supported regime change after the exodus of Sheikh Hasina in 2024. But India knew that this would pose serious risks, which it did. Then there is Myanmar. The US has maintained a punitive approach towards the junta since the military overthrew the civilian government there in 2021, including tough sanctions and military aid to rebel groups, despite the security risks it poses along India’s sensitive north-eastern border. Last March, an American citizen was arrested in India along with six Ukrainian citizens for allegedly entering the northeast without permits and entering Myanmar to train and arm anti-regime fighters for drone warfare. America has also started seeing Nepal as a strategic priority rather than as a part of its India-policy. In recent years, high-level US officials have visited Kathmandu several times, without stopping in New Delhi, as had been the tradition in the past. Trump has made the situation worse, especially by escalating America’s relations with Pakistan. It does not matter that Pakistan remains a safe haven for terrorist groups and continues to provide them with military and intelligence support. Trump’s family members and business associates have nevertheless made profitable deals there. America has now started adopting a conciliatory, liberal approach towards China also. Although strategic competition remains between the two superpowers, Trump’s recent agreements in some areas have created considerable uncertainty – especially for India. While the US has long viewed India as an important democratic bulwark against Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific region, it also balks at the idea of India exerting regional dominance. As US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur said in February, the US is trying to prevent any one power from gaining too much influence in South Asia. Kapoor’s comments echoed the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy (NSS), according to which the United States cannot allow any nation to become so dominant that it threatens American interests. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, during his recent visit to New Delhi, said that we are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago. The message is clear: America now considers India less as a strategic partner and more as a regional and economic rival that needs to be stopped. We have to adapt to this new reality, which demands a fundamental shift in our strategic thinking. America clearly says that we are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago. The message is clear: America now considers India less as a strategic partner and more as a regional rival. (@ProjectSyndicate)
Source link
Brahma Chellaney’s column: It would be a mistake to consider the US as our strategic partner.
