U.S.-India Security Relations Page: 2 of 32
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U.S.-India Security Relations
Summary
Since the 2000 visit by former President Clinton to India and the advent of the
Bush Administration, the United States has begun to develop a security relationship
with India. This paper looks at why this move is being made, the opportunities and
likely constraints, and what role Congress may play to facilitate the future
development of this relationship. This report discusses why the relationship has
taken off, how the United States benefits from this new relationship, and potential
problems that may emerge, both from India's domestic constraints as well as its
perceived foreign policy objectives. This report will not be updated.
In the past two years, the United States and India have moved away from the
misperceptions of the Cold War that prevented a strong relationship between the
world's strongest democracy and its largest one. Instead, there has been an emphasis
on common security interests that are both short term as well as those encompassing
future concerns. These interests include joint operations and patrolling, transfers of
weapons technologies to ensure interoperability, sharing information on and
countering international terrorism, and India playing a role in multilateral
peacekeeping and peace enforcement efforts. The Bush Administration also seems
to view India as being a strong partner in countering China's growing military
presence in Asia.
Problems remain within the relationship, however. Religious tensions in India,
sparked by both Hindu and Muslim fundamentalism, tend to consume governmental
resources and attention to the point that the country is diverted from more forcefully
pursuing its role in the international community. Ethnic tensions and conflicts with
Pakistan over Kashmir have also forced the Indian government to divert resources
from international issues to the maintenance of internal security.
At the external level, doubts remain in India about the value of a full-fledged
security relationship with the United States because it would mean moving away
from the country's traditional policy of non-alignment. From the United States's
perspective, U.S. relations with India need to be balanced by relations with Pakistan,
the needs of the war on terror, and the behavior of China.
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U.S.-India Security Relations, report, November 22, 2002; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806377/m1/2/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.