In America, the give-and-take “alliance” conjures feelings of friendship, loyalty together with support. In India, past times contrast, the A-word is to a greater extent than probable to live received alongside suspicion or derision, associated alongside submission together with entanglement. This stark departure betwixt the world’s oldest together with largest democracies is a legacy of India’s influential post-independence philosophy of nonalignment, which cautioned against dependency on superpowers. While its appeal has diminished since the terminate of the Cold War, existing proponents of nonalignment travel along to shape India’s geopolitical maturation, non to the lowest degree through the perpetuation of several myths together with misconceptions most the costs of “alignment” alongside the United States. From Nonalignment to Non-American
Oft-derided today, for Republic of Republic of India the Cold War logic of nonalignment was arguably to a greater extent than compelling—at to the lowest degree to a greater extent than flexible together with pragmatic—than it’s remembered for. Facing profound developmental challenges next independence inward 1947 together with an intractable rivalry alongside Pakistan, Republic of Republic of India was determined to maintain working relationships alongside both the US together with USSR, fifty-fifty equally it had philosophical together with policy disagreements alongside both. It saw alignment alongside either ability equally fraught alongside danger: equally the junior partner it feared becoming ensnared inward its patron’s rivalries together with assuming their enemies equally its own.
India did its best to rest aloof from Cold War rivalries equally a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement until practical realities forced its hand, which they often did. Republic of Republic of India accepted U.S. armed forces aid when Communist People's Republic of China launched an offensive across the disputed Sino–Indian edge inward 1962 together with signed a usual defence treaty alongside the USSR presently afterwards America signaled an opening to Communist People's Republic of China inward 1971. Even then, Republic of Republic of India jealously guarded its autonomy. It welcomed discounted arms deals from Moscow together with geopolitical encompass at the UN Security Council spell largely avoiding entanglement inward the USSR’s ideological together with armed forces struggles.
Nonalignment outlasted the Cold War, albeit inward a weakening state. Since the plough of the century, it has gradually given way to a to a greater extent than flexible excogitation of “strategic autonomy” equally Republic of Republic of India has taken several meaningful steps toward alignment the US together with Japan, together with to a greater extent than robust strategic appointment alongside a host of others.
Yet, the ghosts of nonalignment all the same stem the halls of South Block, erecting bureaucratic roadblocks together with conjuring contentious debate over every self-interested shift inward America’s direction. And brand no mistake: inward its electrical flow form, nonalignment is really much a non-American faith. There’s nary a peep from its acolytes when Republic of Republic of India signs defence agreements alongside Russia, conducts armed forces exercises alongside Japan, buys arms from State of Israel or trains Vietnamese soldiers. Once based on pragmatic considerations, their movement has travel a to a greater extent than visceral, sometimes irrational, impulse—one fueled past times the perpetuation of several hollow myths.
Myth Number One: Allying alongside the US Is a Dangerous together with Costly Proposition
For the nonalignment crowd, an alliance alongside America is akin to a pact alongside the devil, 1 lined alongside costly obligations together with emasculating dependency. At every plough they’ve argued that if Republic of Republic of India were to create X alongside the United States—sign a civil nuclear deal, purchase U.S. arms, sign a foundational armed forces agreement—it would live reduced to an American lapdog, ceding its sovereignty together with means to Washington politicians. And inward every case, their ironclad predictions proved comically wrong.
So, I inquire them: What bully costs has Republic of Republic of India borne from its growing partnership alongside the United States? What, exactly, has Republic of Republic of India been forced to create against its volition together with interests equally a trial of its maturing partnership alongside the United States? What unholy burden has starting fourth dimension the important advantages Republic of Republic of India has gained from advanced armed forces hardware together with expertise, international back upwards for its nuclear status, cyber together with counterterrorism cooperation, together with intelligence-sharing arrangements—all of which take away hold been praised past times the Indian safety establishment?
Myth Number Two: Allies of the US travel American Lackeys
Any solid set down willing to ally alongside the United States, the nonalignment crowd insists, volition live forced to follow American dictates together with live drawn into American conflicts. Is that true?
The president of Turkey, a U.S. treaty ally, issues anti-American screeds on an almost weekly footing together with has consistently opposed Washington on cardinal regional fault lines, largely costless from retribution. U.S. allies oft together with vibrantly pause alongside Washington when they encounter it is inward their national interests to create so, whether it’s over back upwards for State of Israel together with Taiwan, the Republic of Iraq state of war or America’s Islamic Republic of Iran policy.
Yes, but what most the sanctions? At the moment, Republic of Republic of India is potentially nether threat from 2 sets of U.S. sanctions: 1 designed to punish those doing line of piece of job organisation alongside Russia’s armed forces together with word establishment; the other targeting those purchasing fossil oil from Iran. Isn’t this proof that getting likewise merely about the US carries risk? Not really.
India has goodness ground to experience slighted: through no fault of its own, it is beingness asked to brand costly adjustments to its economical policies together with unusual relationships. However, this is non a business office of India's proximity to the United States—quite the opposite. Both sets of sanctions apply to friend together with foe alike. If anything, they underscore the importance of India’s growing partnership alongside the United States, which has created domestic constituencies committed to securing India’s preferential handling together with shielding it from dual sanctions.
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