Decouple from the US.
Context: Bharat Karnad: On a down path, Jaishankar leading. Read HERE.
The US a) arms and funds Pakistan, b) overthrew Sheikh Hasina and backs a hostile, radical regime in Bangladesh, c) pushes for Christian separatism in India's Northeast, d) engages in widespread conversions to effect demographic change, and e) attempted regime change in India. These are just a few examples from the recent past. Digging into history opens an even bigger Pandora's box.
Given the power differential, it is understandable to keep friends close and enemies closer. That said, a line in the sand must be drawn somewhere. It can be drawn only with a concerted effort to indigenize technologies and decouple. Furthermore, what starts off as issue-based strategic alignment can quickly transform into an unhealthy and permanently imbalanced relationship. The upside of deepening ties seems unclear given FDI is coming only in dribbles.
India's growing over-dependence on the US also raises the prospect of Chinese aggression in the Himalayas. This is a conflict that Washington sees as potentially profitable and strategically beneficial. It would make New Delhi even more dependent on American defense equipment and intelligence. This would give the US a deeper strategic foothold in Asia.
While the US has proven it can operate freely inside India to destabilize it at will, Washington reserves the option to use proxies on India's Eastern and Western fronts to occupy New Delhi in border conflicts and terrorism. Breaking out of the "with us or against us, depend on us or else" relationship entirely rests on India's ability to reform at home and build indigenous capabilities.
Surya Kanegaonkar