Photo Attribution: © Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons
As China ramps up its aggression on and around the Asian continent it is important for our foreign policy interests to remember that this aggression comes at the cost of making enemies and offending countries. On the Steve Bannon War Room Podcast, Edward Luttwak, a prominent global strategist who has made a living advising governments, said that China has not learned the lesson that the U.S. has; make friends with your neighbors. This has caused many tensions to be exacerbated and turned public opinion against China. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a border skirmish between India and China which left 20 Indian soldiers dead. The U.S. should use this opportunity to increase cooperation with China’s most populous neighbor in order to curb Chinese aggression in the region.
Indian-Chinese relations have been fraught with tensions since the time of Mao Zedong. According to Foreign Policy, Mao Zendong and Indian Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed on a number of issues, but could not settle the border between the two countries. This dispute has continued to this day. However, with the end of the cold war and Western imperialism, India has less of a reason to be well disposed to China.
Additionally relations between the U.S. and India have been steadily improving since the end of the Cold War. According to the Council on Foreing Relations, a New Defense Framework was agreed upon by the U.S. and India for maritime cooperation and joint naval exercises in 2005. Unfortunately, India is not yet involved in large-scale international military cooperation frameworks such as NATO. However, the benefits of supporting India and making the country a more integral part of our foreign policy are numerous. According to Statista, India had the third largest military expenditure of any country in 2019 which amounted to 71.1 billion dollars. This, coupled with their large population makes them an extremely valuable ally.
In addition to their conflict with China, India has also had a longstanding conflict with Pakistan over their Northwestern border known as Kashmir. Consequently, relations with this country have also been fractious. This is important, because in 2018 The New York Times reported on a confidential plan between Pakistan and China which would be a part of their Belt and Road initiative. The plan proposed to increase Pakistan’s production of military equipment for China. Given that Pakistan is now extremely close with China it would also make sense for us to support Indian interests in this area of foreign policy as well.
Most importantly, closely allying ourselves with India would not be substituting one tyrannical regime for another. In fact, a Pew Research poll also found that a majority of Indians believe that democratic values including free speech are not stifled within the country. This makes the country a morally attractive state which could be used to defend Western ideals of freedom throughout the region of Asia.
Now, more than ever, it is important to establish deeper economic and especially military ties with India in order to curb Chinese influence in the region of Asia. Policymakers should seize the opportunity to swoop in and appease China’s disgruntled neighbors. Relations with India have been very good and establishing a NATO type military treaty with Asian countries who are worried by China’s hostilities is very important. This will ensure military balance in the region and create a block of countries in favor of U.S. interests.
Your humble servant,
Silence Dogood
