ABSTRACT
The Indo-US strategic partnership is transitioning to new roles in the contemporary changing world order. First, geographically, India shares its contested territory with rising power – China that is at the center of the emerging world order. Second, India’s economic integration in the global system has compelled the US to accommodate India’s interests in the cooperative global order. Third, India remains committed as a partner for the US on its counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan. Thus, India becomes the most reliable partner for the US to hedge against China while exercising joint patrolling and navigation with the US from the Indian Ocean to the blue seas of the Asia-Pacific region. India, in turn can become an important player in balancing military power against China in the naval and strategic domain. India’s rising profile and its force modernization has led to an increase in Pakistan’s insecurity, thus aggravating the deterrent force asymmetry between India and Pakistan based on the security dilemma-driven action–reaction spiral. This chapter deals with the India–US strategic partnership and its impact on Pakistan–India relations and the broader regional stability. The chapter shows how the Indo–US strategic partnership leads to the promotion of an unresolvable spiral in the arms competition between India and Pakistan.
