Washington’s India Pivot

The ascendance of Narendra Modi to the post of India’s Prime Minister comes at a time when Asian geopolitics is in a state of flux. The rise of an assertive China and the resurgence of Japan under Shinzo Abe uniquely positions India as a stable, democratic force that the U.S. and Japan could partner with in order to maintain influence in the Asia-Pacific. India’s rise as a major power promises to transform the Asian security architecture from a purely Asia-Pacific security system to a broader “Indo-Pacific†framework, which includes India. However, settling the sub-continental fronts with Pakistan and Afghanistan will be critical for New Delhi to direct its resources to other regional fronts with China and beyond the Straits of Malacca. It is in this context that both Washington and New Delhi can coordinate their efforts to achieve a common security objective in the subcontinent and support India’s economic rise that complements U.S.’ pivot to Asia. An enhanced economic and security relationship with Washington can bolster India’s engagement with Asia and provide New Delhi an opportunity to be a part of a multilateral hedging system that strengthens its bilateral position vis-à -vis China and its South Asian neighbours. Yet, even as India strives closer to the U.S. and Japan, it will refrain from forging an overt security alliance under a U.S.-led architecture and continue to engage in a hedging policy to maintain maximum freedom of diplomatic maneuver.