US-India security ties deepen but some in New Delhi worry about taking a back seat
- US and India have signed a defence deal and conducted joint naval exercises but experts disagree over whether the relationship serves New Delhi’s interests
- Support from US may offer a counterweight to China’s growing influence but critics worry it could distract India from its core strategic and geopolitical objectives
In India, politicians and commentators have debated whether New Delhi’s eagerness for US support against China’s expanding footprint in South Asia will make it a “junior partner” in Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy and whether that ultimately serves India’s interests.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper last month met counterparts S. Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh, prompting some observers to question whether Washington has been allowed to dictate the terms of the relationship.
Kapil Kak, a former vice-marshal in the Indian Air Force, made those concerns explicit on the eve of the meeting during a YouTube discussion on the Urdu news portal JNN.
“I don’t see a scenario where, not only this government but any government in India, can accept to be a junior partner of the US and expect to be in power,” he said. “That will never happen.”
Former Indian diplomat Talmiz Ahmad, who served in various ambassadorial roles to the Middle East, also warned: “India has allowed itself to become a party to US concerns, acquiring needless Chinese hostility without any benefits for itself.”
