Having failed to keep China in line, the imperial USA is desperately trying to keep India in submission to its failing neoliberal world order:
The US defense chief said that, as the world’s largest democracy, India is central to the so-called “rules-based order,” and he called for collaboration with “like-minded partners.” This collaboration may include co-development of weapons.
Austin and Singh followed their talks by holding a so-called 2+2 meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. “This is a momentous moment in global affairs, and I think as a result, this partnership is even more consequential and more vital,” Blinken said.
However, the partnership has been strained in recent weeks amid efforts by the US and its Western allies to punish and isolate Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Late last month, a top US national security official warned India that there would be “consequences” for countries that try to “circumvent” Washington’s sanctions campaign against Moscow.
“We are keen for all countries, especially our allies and partners, not to create mechanisms that prop up the ruble and that attempt to undermine the dollar-based financial system,” Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh told reporters during his visit to New Delhi on March 31.
President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Brian Deese, reiterated those concerns last week, saying Washington had warned India that it would face significant and long-term costs if it aligned strategically with Russia. “There are certainly areas where we have been disappointed by both China and India’s decisions, in the context of the invasion,” he said.
India has declined to impose sanctions on Russia and has ramped up purchases of Russian oil. Indian and Russian officials have also discussed a ruble-rupee payment mechanism for trade between the countries, bypassing the dollar and the euro.
Another source of tension between Washington and New Delhi is India’s historic reliance on Russian-made weapons. India has ordered five S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia – in defiance of a warning from the US against the $5.5 billion deal – and it reportedly has an option to purchase more of the surface-to-air missiles.
If India is, in fact, “central to the rules-based order”, then that order is definitely going to collapse, because there is no way India is going to side with the USA and Europe against China and Russia. India may have its differences with China, but it shares a very long legacy of British invasion and oppression with China.
The fact that Westerners have conveniently forgotten their history doesn’t mean everyone else has.