Trump emphasized the US role in decimating the ISIS, Qasem Soleimani, and Al Qaeda leader Hamza bin Laden. The impact of international terror networks is felt worldwide including the US and India. The use of information technology and social media have widened their reach. Whether it was the 9/11 in New York or the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 or the recent stabbings in London and other cities, the terror networks have penetrated locally with global connections. Many of these networks have bases in the South Asian region, particularly in Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden hid for years in Pakistan. As Trump emphasized, the US is working with Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan to broker a lasting peace deal. Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi, for the first time, talked about strengthening cooperation in homeland security, an increasing concern worldwide after the 9/11.
Kashmir is a sore point in regional peace and stability efforts. While initially a local movement, global terror networks including Al Qaeda and ISIS later hijacked it. While doing research in the volatile region in 2014-15, I came across ISIS flags in the Kashmir valley. Though the ISIS is almost dead, there are several terrorist organizations like Taliban, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jasih-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen thriving in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The attacker on the London Bridge in November 2019 was trained in Pakistan. There is also a fear that some of these terrorist organizations might infiltrate Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and steal nuclear secrets to make dirty bombs. Besides Islamic terrorism, other common issues of concern, such as drug trafficking and organized crime, figured in the talks.
Bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region – the region starting from India to the Pacific Rim – appeared prominently during the deliberation. Both the leaders emphasized the stakes involved in the region and the need for cooperation. The joint military exercise in November 2019, ‘Tiger Triumph’, had aimed at strengthening their capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Trump and Modi also agreed to enhance cooperation in the form of Quadrilateral Dialogue involving four major democracies in Indo-Pacific – the US, India, Japan, and Australia. As both are strong democracies – the US, the oldest, and India, the largest –both are interested to spread democratic values globally. Also, all these countries are wary of Chinese assertiveness, and its aggressive pursuit of the Belt and Road initiative. China’s proclaimed ‘peaceful rise’ has not been that peaceful as turmoil in Hong Kong and Xinjiang and as the situation in the South China Sea have demonstrated.
Whether it was Mark Twain’s astonishment during his visit to the Indian subcontinent in 19th century, or David Thoreau’s enchantment with Indian spiritual heritage, or Einstein’s eulogy of Gandhi, or Oppenheimer’s chanting of hymns from Gita during the successful Trinity Test in 1945, the American-Indian relations have always been live with a deeper meaning and significance. Nikki Haley, the Indian-American Republican politician, rightly notes, “The US and India are the two largest democracies in the world and share many values. There is much to be gained by the friendship of Modi and Trump.” The bonhomie shared by Trump and Modi has the potential to bring the two countries closer. Importantly, the emphasis that relations are ‘people-driven, people-centric’, not solely driven by geostrategy, elevates the relations to a new level.
In the complex 21st-century globalized world, characterized by ‘turbulence’, the shared values have to be translated into dynamic policy to realize global peace and security. The Trump visit could be considered a step in this regard
(An edited version of this article was published in Orlando Sentinel, on February 29: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-trump-india-modi-partnership-20200229-cl2w6xhyk5abfnejowdc3dxvai-story.html)
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