Why is India so obsessed with Pakistan, China and US?

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Why is India so obsessed with Pakistan, China and US?

India’s obsession with the US, Pak & China

From the failed summit at Agra in 2001 between prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to the joint statement issued by the two leaders on the sidelines of the 2004 Saarc summit in Islamabad, it seemed that the BJP-led NDA government could think of nothing else but Pakistan. The whole foreign policy approach was Pakistan-oriented.

Even closer ties with the United States were seen as a part of India’s Pakistan policy.

India’s obsession with the US, Pak & China - dnaindia.com

From July 2005 when prime minister Manmohan Singh and the then US president George W Bush issued a joint statement which talked about the India-US civil nuclear deal to October 2008 when the US Congress passed the required legislation, the Indian political class and media did nothing but speak ad nauseam about the pros and cons of the issue.

Pakistan again occupied the whole Indian mind space from November 26, 2008 when alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked Mumbai. Politicians and media were grappling with the question of finding the right response to Pakistan-based Islamist terrorism. For the last few weeks, it is China that has become a nightmare for the Indian media and policy wonks dealing with foreign policy.

The curious thing is that despite the time and energy Indians dealing with such matters spend thinking and arguing about Pakistan, the US and China, there is no clarity about relations with these three countries. Secondly, it sometimes appears that India has strategic concerns only with these three and no one else. Is it possible to do better than indulge in these obsessive-compulsive responses which do not befit an emerging global power like India?
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Will it be easier to deal with Pakistan if India were to pay attention to relations with Bangladesh? Compared to the irreconcilable issues which plague relations with Islamabad, the problems with Dhaka are solvable. Yet, the Indian establishment refuses to consider the possibility of improving ties with Bangladesh, which could serve as a benchmark for the problem-ridden Indian-Pakistan relations.

If Pakistan is India’s obsession in south Asia, then it is China that seems to be the sole trouble for India in the whole of Asia. India has no time for Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) group, which is a hugely influential group on India’s eastern front.

If India were to become an important strategic player in the Asean region, then it could have a subtle impact on India-China relations. India’s relations with Japan and South Korea could be leveraged as well in dealing with Beijing. The possibilities aren’t even considered in New Delhi.

The US is India’s weak point. Both in the government and outside, the idea of dealing with America is overwhelming. The India-US civil nuclear deal is seen as a gift from Washington and not as recognition of India’s enhanced status.
There is a sense of diffidence when it comes to dealing with the US. There is the strong feeling that India cannot do much on its own on the world stage if the US were not to be on its side. There is also the perception that the US is a key player in India-Pakistan as well as India-China relations. The assumptions are of course totally mistaken.

The pathetic aspect of this obsession is that India’s foreign policy vision remains nebulous when it has to define its position with regard to the wide world. India’s economic potential remains constricted because it is so US-focused, and its neighbourhood relations are disabled by its concerns with Pakistan and China.

It should be possible for the next generation of politicians, policymakers and entrepreneurs to break out of the caged thinking of the present and reach out to the open horizons of Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. India cannot hope to be a big power if it cannot get rid of its fixations.

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Re: Why is India so obsessed with Pakistan, China and US?

Well that India is obsessed with Pakistan that i can imagine and for the obvious reasons that everybody knows. India still did not come to terms with the fact that Pakistan is independent but gradually is acknowleding that fact.
With China its powerplay. Both countries are huge with population over 1 billion and the rest of the world mentiones boht countries in one breath when it comes to economic growth and the next world leaders. My personal opinion is that China is in a much better position then India to lead because India has big problem with powerty and hundreds of millions of people that are living on the street.
China has over 1 trillion (i may be wrong) reserves and holdings in USA and all over the world. And with iron hand it has managed its economy and its people. Just look at the "one-child-policy".

USA hmmmm i dont know what India's obsession with USA is but i think :) every country in the world has obsession with the USA lolz.
And most of all USA itself has the biggest obsession with itsself thats why it sees itself the world leaders. I must say they have managed it quit well but bc of the stupid war mongering BUSH they are not paying heavy price and are heavily in debt.

ٹائم پاس ماہ جون - Time Pass June 2014 - الوقت ممر يونيو
ٹائم پاس ماہ جون - Time Pass June 2014 - الوقت ممر يونيو
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Re: Why is India so obsessed with Pakistan, China and US?

The article makes valid points. When it comes to dealing with China Indians behave as the slaves willing to take what little gain is offered. With the USA Indians behave like a shy teenage girl wanting to be asked out for a date. And with Pakistan Indians have no clue how to deal with bilaterally and seem happy to be constrained and played by China and the USA.

Sometimes I wonder why we even pretend to have a backbone and testicles.

Then I remember we are the most the successful democracy, that we have started making significant impact in the global village, our diversity has become our strength, our population problem also shows signs of becoming our primary resource. There is something just right about India.

We do have to get our political and diplomatic guys & gals stand their ethical grounds more but guess what? it's only been 63 years.

kisabi mohabat
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China $2.3T in forex

However an excerpt wrt indian obsession with pak

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EC26Df02.html

What followed, however, was the spectacle of groveling at Washington’s
feet. At the end of the 10 rounds of talks, projected in New Delhi as
diplomacy, and after a loud endorsement of the war on terrorism,
India’s entire foreign policy appears to be more tightly wrapped around
Pakistan than ever. At the same time, the country’s domestic policy has
strayed far from the path of removing abject poverty and building up
the nation, hurtling down the path of least resistance into the abyss
of exploitation of caste and Hindu-Muslim conflicts. Ayodhya, Babri
Masjid, Ram Janambhoomi, Gujarat killings, Jammu and Kashmir … the
list goes on.

Beginning of marginalization
In theory, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War
in the early 1990s took the straitjacket off Indian foreign policy. But
instead of refashioning an independent direction to meet the nation’s
needs, the Indian foreign-policy establishment fell apart. Under the
US-backed V P Singh government in1989, India abandoned its leadership
in the Non-Aligned Movement. But there has been no hint of a positive
step or direction in India’s own neighborhood or beyond.

ٹائم پاس ماہ جون - Time Pass June 2014 - الوقت ممر يونيو