American Strategic Policy Towards India and Pakistan in Post 9/11 Era

Abstract

For the last seventy years the region of South Asia in general and two states i.e. Pakistan and India in particular remained an integral part of American foreign policy. Keeping in view the geostrategic location of Pakistan, the US expended its relations with it during the Cold War period to contain communism led by former Soviet Union and later on in the back drop of 9/11 incident to eradicate the menace of terrorism sponsored by AlQaeda and other extremist groups in the region mainly in Afghanistan and FATA. Meanwhile, the US also enhanced its relations with India firstly to balance the power of rising China in Asia and secondly to get the economic benefit from big Indian economy. These factors helped India to emerge as a long term strategic partner of the US whereas Pakistan’s relation with sole super power remains transactional and tactical in nature despite its role in War on Terror (WoT). To promote American national interests both Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat President Obama adopted different foreign policy approaches towards India and Pakistan. It is argued that realism and neorealism are dominating aspects of American foreign policy with Pakistan and India. Factors like imbalance strategy of the US towards Pakistan in terms of Indo-US atomic and defence deals and US pronounced support for India’s permanent member of UNSC and NSG, accepting India’s enhanced role in Afghanistan and pampering India against China have not only serious consequences for the stability of the region but also started an arms race between Pakistan and India. Furthermore, continues negligence of the issue of Kashmir by the US has increased enmity between India and Pakistan. Furthermore, continuous negligence of the issue of Kashmir by the US has increased enmity between India and Pakistan. Besides the Indo-US strategic relations got further boost in economic and military fields which helped India to meet the challenge of China. Although Pakistan and the US desires to normalize bilateral relations yet their ties seems bleak on nuclear issue. However, both states would continue to work on terrorism and political settlement in Afghanistan. The US policies over the years more focused on geostrategic aspect, however, China balanced geo-strategic scenario to geo-economics approach. Therefore, Pakistan, especially with the launch of CPEC project, has come closer to China than the US.