ISAS Briefs

The recent visit by the United States (US) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India appears to have enabled Washington to launch a regional approach that privileges its relations with India in a manner that was inconceivable until now. In confronting the sources of international terror in Pakistan, encouraging India to play a larger role in Afghanistan, contesting China's quest for regional hegemony and calling on India to play a leading role in constructing a new strategic equilibrium in the Indo-Pacific, the US is hoping to build a 100-year partnership with India. While many in New Delhi remain sceptical, and many imponderables cloud the future, an American tilt towards India and New Delhi's willingness to work with Washington in the region are likely to become important factors in shaping the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific.