The Hindu : National : Focus on India-U.S. ties after Bush re-election

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 05, 2004

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Focus on India-U.S. ties after Bush re-election

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, NOV. 4. After the triumph of George W. Bush in Tuesday's U.S. Presidential election, the question is what it will mean to south Asia; particularly to India. Washington's approach to Islamabad will have a bearing on India even if the trend is to see the United States' relationship with India and Pakistan as two different things.

The first reaction is that the India-U.S. relationship is gaining "new strength." With Mr. Bush's re-election, "we can look forward with confidence to further strengthening the India-U.S. relations," India's Ambassador to the U.S., Ronen Sen, was quoted as saying in an agency report. The relations gained further importance because of the bipartisan support they enjoyed and as reflected by the India Caucus in the House of Representatives and the Caucus on India in the Senate.

Bush's commitment

During his campaign and in an extensive interview with India Abroad, Mr. Bush said he was "absolutely committed" to building an "enhanced, comprehensive relationship" with India. It would have a number of facets to it, including moving along in the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership, enhancing cooperation in areas such as civilian, nuclear, space research, the economy and terrorism. "India has been an outstanding partner in the global war on terror, and we expect that will continue," he said.

At the same time there has been some heartburn over the fashion in which the first Bush administration has handled the relationship with Pakistan; and the apprehension has not just come from the subcontinent but from many members of Congress in the U.S. With a continuing focus on terrorism and the unfinished business with the Al Qaeda, the new Bush administration can be expected to continue its close relationship with Pakistan and its President, Pervez Musharraf.

Soft towards Pakistan?

By and large there is a feeling that in the context of the war on terror and in the kind of cooperation that Islamabad has supposedly been giving to the U.S., the first Bush administration had allowed Pakistan to get away with "almost anything." The Republican administration has been blamed for, among things, turning a blind eye to developments on the democratic front in Pakistan.

From India's point of view what will be of concern — stated or otherwise — will be the kind of weapons that the new Bush administration may be having in mind for Pakistan. There has been constant talk of the F-16s in particular that Islamabad is seeking, obviously the latest versions.

This speculation partly stems from the fact that Pakistan has been designated a major non-NATO ally. Mr. Bush has rejected the notion that Washington would give Pakistan "sophisticated" weapons that would increase instability in South Asia and lead to an arms race. "Absolutely not. Our position on stability on the subcontinent has been clear and it would be wrong to assume that [the] designation of Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally automatically means that there will be an infusion of sophisticated weapons into Pakistan," he said. But concerns, including on Capitol Hill, remain.

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