Us and them

Amidst the tall talk of an 8220;unfolding transformation8221; in Indo-US relations, on the one hand, and widespread scepticism about the r...

Amidst the tall talk of an 8220;unfolding transformation8221; in Indo-US relations, on the one hand, and widespread scepticism about the real possibilities, on the other, Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld have put something substantial on the table. Proving cynics wrong, the two leaders signed the path-breaking 8216;New Framework for US-India Defence Relations8217;. The agreement is sweeping in terms of the strategic objectives that the two nations will pursue in the coming decade and specific in terms of new methods to facilitate actual cooperation. Mukherjee and Rumsfeld have underlined a convergence of interests on 8220;combating terrorism and violent religious extremism, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, protecting the free flow of commerce, and promoting security and stability in Asia8221;. India and the US have also unveiled mechanisms to promote long-term bilateral defence industrial ties and the possible outsourcing of research and production by US defence contractors to India.

Throughout the Cold War, India and the US have had little defence cooperation, barring the brief interlude after the Sino-Indian border conflict in 1962. The attempts to structure defence ties towards the end of the Cold War by Rajiv Gandhi produced some useful defence technological cooperation, for example in the development of the Light Combat Aircraft. After the Cold War, military-to-military exchanges intensified. But in the end the political framework guiding this engagement was too fragile and did not survive bilateral nuclear tensions.

The new framework agreement opens up opportunities for the Indian defence industry to position itself better in a world where defence industries of the advanced countries are globalising. It should also expand India8217;s ability to bargain for technology transfers and co-production from the three main sources of armaments in the world8212;the US, Europe and Russia. Traditionalists will see new Indo-US defence cooperation as being targeted against either Pakistan or China. It does nothing of the sort. Indo-Pak relations and Sino-Indian relations have never been as good as they are today. And Washington8217;s ties with both Islamabad and Beijing are substantive. What the agreement marks, though, is the recognition of the need in Washington and New Delhi to add more depth to the Indo-US engagement. Even more important is the message that a stable balance of power in Asia requires stronger Indo-US defence cooperation.