USA Administration Must Avoid Diplomatic Confrontation With India Otherwise It Will Be A Huge Mistake
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Special Forces
Bradley Bowman may be a senior director for the Center on Military and Political Power with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies but seems to be quite naïve regarding things Indian.
Bradley should know that you cannot compare a country, the largest democracy in the World population wise, with countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Also even the largest democracy geographical size wise the USA, cannot threaten or coerce India for any thing …..repeat any thing. By doing so they are only making a big mistake for which they will pay at leisure.
Even Turkey has insisted on acquiring the Russian S400 air defense system and China has already gone ahead and acquired it. It is the best air defence system that money can offer. Hence India has evaluated the S400 and decided to go ahead and purchase it.
Firstly, neither USA nor any other country has been permitted by India to take decisions on its behalf. Secondly, no one dictates to India regarding what it can buy and from whom. Thirdly,S400 is the best air defence system available.
Fourthly, India and Russia have been friends since last 60 years and none can break this friendship, especially through threats. Fifthly, the much inferior THHAD system which Americans are keen to sell to India does not have anything to match S400 plus the price being charged for the inferior system is much higher.
In anger the Trump administration has decided to debar Turkey from the F-35 fighter program. It may next take similar action against Saudi Arabia. However it will be most foolish on part of Trump and his administration to take any action, whatsoever, against India. They better reconsider their Action Plan otherwise it will boomerang against them.
Qatar has also shown interest in the S-400 and apparently in talks with Russia. This is certainly a nightmare fir the Americans since in Qataris is the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East and home of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, as well as over 11,000 U.S. and coalition service members. The Pentagon says that the base “has served as the primary staging ground for most air operations in the campaign to defeat ISIS.”
Should Qatar acquire the S-400, then the USAAF cannot operate from Al Udeid. As the White House noted, “the F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities.” The F-35 will be the backbone of U.S. air power for decades to come. The U.S. cannot risk Russian compromise of its most important fighter.
An inability to base F35 at Al Udeid would reduce the American military effectiveness in the Middle East and bring down the importance of the air base to the Pentagon.
Unlike others, India is not an ally or partner of USA, it is a friend on equal basis. The world’s largest democracy and the world’s most populous share many interests.
Americans should not forget that India has known democracy frim way back in the time of Emperor Ashoka, when most of the Europeans were still quite primitive and USA non existent.
The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and India in the coming years has the potential to become a leading contributor to international security, stability and prosperity in the 21st century.
However USA tends to forget that India already has a similar and much stable bilateral relationship with Russia, which has stood the test of time. Even India and China are working towards a similar relationship based on mutual respect.
That is why it would be wise for Trump to look for further opportunities to broaden and deepen cooperation on a variety of mutual challenges — terrorism, trade, environment and Space research.
India is a rising economic and military power. It would be a huge mistake on part of Washington to break relationship with New Delhi because India is going ahead with the purchase of the S-400 from Russia.
Any type of Coercive tactics against India will only damage the bilateral relationship. Also by going for negative action USA can in no way impede and compete with the growing bilateral Indo Russian and Indo Chinese relationship.
Any strong bipartisan American reaction may also invite similar strong reaction from India. After all India too remembers the Nixon action of sending USS ENTERPRISE into Bay of Bengal and the Economic Sanction imposed in 1998 after the Indian nuclear blast. Though who blinked first was later seen by the entire world.
So before taking any decision the American Senate must carefully weigh the pros and cons because the kind of diplomatic, economic and security relationship USA hopes to have with India will depend on it.
Trump needs to think twice before he decides to take on India, Russia and China combined !!!
Bilateral relations between India and Russia are “time-tested” and US sanctions will not impact the growing bonhomie between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would soon be holding the Russia-India Summit on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, scheduled to be held in Vladivostok, Russia, from 4-6 September.
Modi will be attending the forum as the chief guest. As the Russian put it “Unilateral sanctions are against the global rules-based order…Unilateral sanctions are creating huge impediments not just for Russia, but those who do business with Russia.”
Russia has been under western sanctions since 2012. The US separately has put as many as 60 rounds of sanctions on Russian companies, government agencies and individuals. The sanctions have been imposed pertaining to Russia’s policy towards Ukraine.
In 2017, the US passed the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to stop Russia from selling its arsenals.
