"With Russia and China continuing to prowl the world looking for weakness and opportunity, no relationship can be taken for granted. And that too, is a cold hard fact."
The Indo-Pacific. All eyes are on this most vital part of the world. In the eyes of China, this area is their "lake". The East China Sea, the South China Sea - they belong to China. Every other country in that region are only "squatters". And because of China's desire to absorb Taiwan, the United States has a very strong presence in the region. But who is with us if push comes to shove? Japan for sure. South Korea. Australia, and the PI. But there is one country who could really tip the balance if we played our cards right with them.
It is no secret that India and China have had their "dust ups". It is also true that as of late, the air has cleared a bit with both countries, and much of the "war talk" has subsided. That being said, there is still room for the United States to cozy up to this very important country in the region. With the size of India's military, it could give some real heft to our team. For example, India has the world's second largest military force, with the third largest defense budget. Having Japan and South Korea on one side of China, Australia and the PI on the bottom side of China, and India on the west side of China - now that is containment.
Donald Trump had a good relationship with Modi. Biden? Not so much. Yes, India is always looking for the deal. We have the deal to offer. Cheap energy, and the world's best weapon systems. Right now, Modi is playing footsie with both Russia and China because they came a knocking. And we have not. I would love to see a stronger relationship with India. If Donald Trump becomes POTUS # 47, maybe we could have a repeat of the days of # 45.
From a personal note, I have had some very good relationships with Indian people. At a former company who had Tata (large Indian company) and a major subcontractor, I was responsible for managing them on site. Smart, hardworking, results oriented - that is the India I saw in the work this company performed. When I had to deal with Tata in India, I had the same experience.
India's Navy is about the same size as Japan's Navy. Only Japan's is more modernized. Having India's current Navy helping to patrol the Indo-Pacific area to keep the peace would be a huge plus. The sad fact is, we can't do it ourselves. We have to keep an eye on Putin in Europe and as well as having a strong showing in the western Pacific. With the toning down that Obama and Biden have done to our defense budgets, we no longer have the "chops" to fight two major wars in two parts of the world. We need friends who have a strong military to help us. That is a cold hard fact.
Trump and Modi together again? I like it. I like how other than India, our relationships have strengthened in that most vital part of the world. Yes, even under Biden, our relationships have improved. With Russia and China continuing to prowl the world looking for weakness and opportunity, no relationship can be taken for granted. And that too, is a cold hard fact.
No comments:
Post a Comment