India's Foreign policy

miketheterrible wrote:


India will never be a super power no matter how many times Indians wish for it. They have nearly zero control over their own country and foreign policy as is.

miketheterrible wrote:Why does your post keep showing as a new post even though I seen this post like 20 times already? Broken forum software.

Even as bilateral relations between China and India become more tightly knit, it may be just a matter of time before Pakistan and India also sort out their issues. Playing a supportive role, China could help build bridges, and even if just a modicum of success is achieved, an India-Pakistan-China triangle could ensure the long-term peace and prosperity of South Asia. ..in recent times, India has become the world’s largest weapons importer by purchasing 13% of the arms in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In the future, those finances could be re-channeled to poverty reduction and economic development if vibrant geo-economic relations are established.
http://www.atimes.com/china-india-rapprochement-will-benefit-entire-region/?utm_source=The+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=dc02e29a5d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_30_12_33&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f8bca137f-dc02e29a5d-31607385

India’s recent bonhomie with the West further complicated its ambitions. The emergence of protectionist trade policy under US President Donald Trump followed by a declaration of a trade war against China, coupled with crippling sanctions against Iran, have pushed India into difficult terrain, not least because of the
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which is casting shadows over its defense purchases from Russia.
With such a difficult situation, confrontation with Beijing cannot be a desirable choice for New Delhi, so it is looking for avenues for cooperation where there is room for it. ..
India has so far refused to enter the BRI, outlining its reservations on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which according to New Delhi violates India’s sovereignty, since a part of the CPEC runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir. But the complicated international developments under Trump have encouraged India to explore room for regional cooperation with China.
http://www.atimes.com/dhaka-bringing-beijing-and-new-delhi-closer/?utm_source=The+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=dc02e29a5d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_30_12_33&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f8bca137f-dc02e29a5d-31607385

Strange Bedfellows and Buried Hatchets
Starting with the administration of George W. Bush, the US has tried to lure India into an alliance with Japan and Australia – the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or “Quad” – to challenge China in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.
The Americans turned a blind eye to India’s violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and dropped the ban on selling arms to New Delhi. The Pentagon even re-named its Pacific Command, “Indo-Pacific Command” to reflect India’s concerns in the Indian Ocean. The US is currently training Indian fighter pilots, and this summer held joint naval maneuvers with Japan and the US – Malabar 18 – in the strategic Malacca Straits .
But following an April Wuhan Summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Delhi’s enthusiasm for the Quad appears to have cooled. New Delhi vetoed Australia joining the Malabar war games.
At June’s Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore, Modi said “India does not see the Indo-Pacific region as a strategy or as a club of limited members,” and pointedly avoided any criticism of China’s behavior in the South China Sea. Given that Indian and Chinese troops have engaged in shoving matches and fistfights with one another in the Doklam border region, Modi’s silence on the Chinese military was surprising.
China and India have recently established a military hotline, and Beijing has cut tariffs on Indian products.
During the SCO meetings, Modi and XI met and discussed cooperation on bringing an end to the war in Afghanistan. India, Pakistan, and Russia fear that extremism in Afghanistan will spill over their borders, and the three have joined in an effort to shore up the Taliban as a bulwark against the growth of the Islamic State.
There is also a push to build the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline that will eventually terminate in energy-starved India.
India signed the SCO’s “Qingdao Declaration,” which warned that “economic globalization is confronted with the expansion of unilateral protectionist policies,” a statement aimed directly at the Trump administration.
The Modi government also made it clear that New Delhi will not join US sanctions against Iran and will continue to buy gas and oil from Tehran. Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that India would ignore US threats to sanction any country doing business with Russia’s arms industry. https://original.antiwar.com/hallinan/2018/08/30/as-washington-vacillates-asias-alliances-are-shifting/

After concluding his quick trip to Pakistan, Pompeo headed to India. There, he not only praised the Indian democratic system but also signed a military communications agreement.
As a part of this agreement, the US will provide India with the latest communication system, which will enable India to transmit real-time encrypted messages to its naval ships and aircraft. The US included India on its favored-nations list for receiving sophisticated military supplies through this agreement. This agreement will increase the defense capabilities of India against Pakistan and China.
http://www.atimes.com/china-poised-to-become-pakistans-new-strategic-benefactor/?utm_source=The+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=ddaeac47fe-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_17_11_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f8bca137f-ddaeac47fe-31607385

So, why not import American gear now that may not be there later?

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian announced at a regular press briefing on Thursday that joint China-India military exercises would be held in November in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. Details of the training are still being discussed, he added.

When India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Tokyo on Sunday for an annual summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, they are expected to sign a logistics pact that will allow access to each other’s bases.
In practical terms, that would mean that Japanese naval vessels will be using Indian naval bases on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to refuel and get other services.
India’s navy will also get access to Japanese facilities for maintenance. For the first time, the Indian Army and Japan’s Ground Self Defense Force will also conduct joint exercises at Vairengte in the northeast Indian state of Mizoram in November.

LM offered India to set up full F-16 production line with tech. transfer, so it's not "renting" or "leasing".

Iranian frozen assets in international accounts are calculated to be worth between $100 billion and $120 billion. Almost $1.973 billion of Iran's assets are frozen in the United States. According to the Congressional Research Service, in addition to the money locked up in foreign bank accounts, Iran's frozen assets include real estate and other property. The estimated value of Iran's real estate in the U.S. and their accumulated rent is $50 million. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_frozen_assets

Tsavo Lion wrote:If the Iranians kept their F-4/-5/-14s flying in combat despite the arms embargo, so could Indians (who r not less capable) with the F-16s.

GarryB wrote:

LM offered India to set up full F-16 production line with tech. transfer, so it's not "renting" or "leasing".

They can offer anything they want... but what happens if India does something to annoy the US... congress can cut them off on a whim.

In 1999, the US imposed a ban on military aid to Indonesia after it was accused of taking part in violence in East Timor during that territory's break from Indonesia. The ban had a serious impact on the combat readiness of Indonesia's F-16 fleet, mainly due to a lack of spare parts. The ban was lifted in November 2005. http://www.f-16.net/f-16_users_article6.html

Then perhaps they could also order JAS-39s from Sweden, btw their performance is better, or buy/set up production of Japanese F-2s, if the US doesn't object.