Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 23 To become a bigger player on the world stage, New Delhi will need to become a truly Asian power and project its power and influence globally, says a US expert on South Asia.

"Although India's choices in domestic and foreign policy will be the most important factors affecting its power, stature, and partnerships in the coming years, decisions made by the United States will also matter greatly," writes Evan A. Feigenbaum, senior fellow for Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"This is especially true in areas that tangibly bear on Indian interests, such as Afghanistan," he writes in the March-April issue of Foreign Affairs on "India's Rise, America's Interest: The Fate of the US-Indian Partnership".

"Washington and New Delhi must sustain momentum on the issues they have made progress on over the last decade, including cooperation on defence, trade, energy, the environment, and education," Feigenbaum said.

"The tougher challenge will be to manage looming disagreements on five potentially divisive strategic issues: Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, China policy, arms control, climate change, and high-technology cooperation.

"Washington and New Delhi need to move their disagreements toward compromise, without reverting to the acrimony that characterised an earlier era in their bilateral relations," writes Feigenbaum, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia during the Bush administration.

Feigenbaum said "Indians are asking three questions about the Obama administration's policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan: Will the United States stay and fight in Afghanistan over time; will it apply sustained pressure on Islamabad to crack down on groups and individuals that target India?

"And will it resist the temptation to call for Indian concessions to Pakistan, in the hope that this will encourage the Pakistani government to change its priorities and focus on defeating terrorism?"

Feigenbaum also asks: "How would the United States respond if another Mumbai-like attack occurred on Indian soil and New Delhi asked Washington to step up its pressure on Islamabad? And what if India responded militarily?"

There is a broad perception in India's strategic community that despite the many new elements of the US-Indian cooperation, the United States has recently been tilting toward Pakistan by ramping up its aid to the country and its military-to-military cooperation with Pakistan, Feigenbaum said.

"The United States and India share important interests: both seek to restore global growth, protect the global commons, enhance global energy security, and ensure a balance of power in Asia," he said.

"They must therefore increase the scope, quality, and intensity of their cooperation at every level. But the ultimate test of their relationship will be whether Washington and New Delhi can turn their common interests into complementary policies around the world."