…And we are in! Indo-US 2+2 dialogue has achieved three important outcomes
The optics were brilliant. And they should warm the hearts of all progressive forces — provided they take a minute to keep aside their vicious bias against the current regime — looking for at least symbolic manifestations of the struggle for gender equity. Two diminutive, in physical stature only, Indian women leaders, professionals in their own right in their earlier avatars, who have made their way up by dint of sheer hard work and merit who hold the top jobs at the Foreign and Defence Ministries of the world's largest democracy hosting their more conventional, white, male counterparts from the US , the world's oldest democracy, at the Indo-US 2+2 dialogue that concluded in New Delhi last week was an aspect of the terms of engagement between the two strategic partners that has not been highlighted enough. It was indeed a brilliant visual and well done, Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman, take a bow. But the optics should not be allowed to overshadow the substantive gains of this engagement between New Delhi and Washington.
First, is the language used for the articulation of Indian concerns in the US statement at the conclusion of the meet to condemn Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. This included using the phrase “territory under Pakistan's control”, as opposed to the usual formulation of Pakistani territory, in what is widely believed to be describing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) which hosts launch pads for Kashmiri Islamist tanzeems including the one utilised by terrorists who carried out the Uri attack and was the region the Indian surgical strikes targeted. Also, Islamabad was slammed by Washington for the use of “terror proxies” as an instrument of state policy, a phrase that New Delhi has consistently favoured. Secondly, the signing of the new defence agreement between the two sides termed the Communications Compatibility and Security Arrangement (COMCASA) promises to open a new chapter in military-to-military operations which is vital to put muscle into the strategic partnership. It is important to underline that this agreement was delayed in the main thanks to the entrenched anti-America lobby in the Indian establishment which, especially after the election of Donald J Trump as US President, had let its aesthetic and/or ideological biases distract from the single-minded pursuit of our national interest. In simple terms, Trump maybe whatever he is for the American and European liberals, leftists and Islamic countries but his policies have been very good for India regardless of blimps such as the threat of sanctions over Iranian oil imports and Russian missiles which are matters for hard-nosed backroom negotiation and accommodation and do not take away from the clear messaging and actions of his administration against the Islamist-socialist-liberal alliance that suits the Indian interest. COMCASA means that the vast region from the US West Coast to the Indian Ocean is in play for bilateral, quadrilateral and multilateral military engagements and intelligence-sharing between both nations. Thirdly, the overarching impact of this deepening of Indo-US strategic ties will, if it is assiduously nurtured and differences are sorted out calmly on the basis of reciprocity as and when they arise, ensure that we have skin in the game in the larger strategic game which is unfolding to contain China's hegemonistic ambitions. Of course, New Delhi must simultaneously engage with Beijing and work to furthering both countries' economic interests but the syncing of polices between two major democracies, one a superpower and the other an emerging regional power with ambitions of being a world power, is likely to have multi-faceted resonance which no world capital including Beijing can ignore.