Opinion John Kerry: The problem,the opportunity

John Kerry has got India thinking. The new US Secretary of State is no stranger to New Delhi

June 24, 2013 03:36 AM IST First published on: Jun 24, 2013 at 03:36 AM IST

John Kerry has got India thinking. The new US Secretary of State is no stranger to New Delhi and neither are his views,but the fact that he has embarked on a course that threatens to upset the finely tuned balance in Afghanistan prompts the question: Is the US redesigning its approach on Afghanistan post-2014?

Providing the Taliban its Qatar moment with all the flag-hoisting and the rest makes this a legitimate question. Largely because it plays into a set of several other connected and complex questions Taliban yes,but which Taliban? Who has identified them? There is no one Taliban version in the marketplace,so which one do you trust and why?

Clearly,Kerry and the State Department are in no frame to delve that deep. Simply because US interests lie in effecting a successful troop withdrawal,one which can politically and historically go down as a campaign that America won. So if Washington believes talks with Taliban at any cost are an inescapable variable in this matrix,then these will be pursued.

The problem,however,is the delicate balance of political forces within Afghanistan and in the region. Working out solutions across the table with the Pakistan Army and then hoping for the rest to fall in line is asking for trouble.

The first hurdle,as we are witnessing,is the Afghan government itself. And New Delhis statement on respecting the distinction between a sovereign state and an insurgent outfit clearly indicates that Hamid Karzai is not all by himself.

Its in this inconvenient backdrop that Kerry has arrived on his first visit to India in his new job. Surely,the conversation will cover Afghanistan as well as the challenges before the new government in Pakistan,but its imperative for India not to make this the centrepiece of Kerrys visit. Having stated its position,South Block would do well to resist the urge to argue.

This is a rich bilateral relationship,which is searching for fresh impetus and that must hold priority. Difficult as the backdrop may be,South Block must work on Kerrys own conviction that a strong relationship with India is also in US national interest. And thats the opportunity Kerry brings one which India needs to flesh out.

Pranab is Editor,Express News Service

pranab.samanta@expressindia.com