And the Pakistani approach
Islamabad’s worry about unprecedented US-India warmth is understandable. Modi’s been charming Obama since coming to power recently. He got Obama to back Delhi’s foreign policy from the White House, and now the latter has become the first US president to visit India twice. This is clearly Pivot to Asia at play, and the writing on the wall has been clear since before Modi became prime minister. The two leaders didn’t say it, of course, but the desire to enhance cooperation might not be as great as keeping China in check.
What is not so crystal clear, however, is why Pakistan has failed to keep pace with changes sweeping the region. Islamabad voiced similar fears when the Pivot was announced, but has taken no practical steps in the two-and-a-half years to make the country more central to the region. Other players have been far more ‘ahead of the curve’. Once the Americans started detaching from the Middle East, it was clear that rising China was their new biggest long-term concern. It had just shot past Japan has the world’s second largest economy, and its military has already grown strong enough make any adventure very expensive for its opponents. Hence the need for containment.
But while the Indians were busy turning around their economy – with particular focus on value-added exports – Pakistan was still occupied with strategic depth and its hangover. Of course, Washington didn’t just consider demographics while leaning towards India. Delhi offers trade and investment to go side-by-side with the politics. Yet Pakistan has been a terror worry for far too long. Even now, most exchanges are dominated by Pakistan asking for more financial aid in one form or another. At such a time, it becomes difficult to present even our legitimate worries, like unprovoked Indian aggression on the LoC and working boundary. Instead of expressing surprise at the lack of interest our friends are showing, we must finally understand the age old dictum that politics is about permanent interests not permanent friends. A fine example comes from New Delhi, which has postured well to take advantage of regional trends.
