Sen. John McCain on Friday said that Islamist terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan is the main obstacle to South Asian peace and the U.S.-India relationship, and that a precipitate withdrawal from Afghanistan would “deepen India’s reliance on Russia and Iran.”
“I can think of few more immediate ways to damage the U.S.-India relationship–and to convince India that the United States is both a declining power and an unreliable partner–than for us to pull out of Afghanistan before achieving our goals,” McCain said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace one day ahead of President Obama’s scheduled arrival in India.
McCain also said that the Pakistani military’s cooperation with terrorist entities in the region is in part a reaction to Pakistan’s belief that the U.S. will not stay to finish the job in Afghanistan.
“That this behavior has not proved catastrophic for Pakistan has been entirely too dependent on good luck and extraordinary restraint, especially on India’s part,” McCain said. “But if, God forbid, our luck runs out, I don’t know if restraint will be an option, either for India or for us.”
McCain outlined three strategic goals for the U.S.-India relationship: shape South Asia into a region of sovereign, democratic states; create a power structure in the region that favors “free societies, free markets, free trade, and free commons”; and open up the region to the international economy to promote peaceful economic development.
To do this, McCain suggested the U.S. and India play cooperative roles in working with the Pakistani population– a “natural partner” even if the Pakistani leadership has yet to come around. In addition to Pakistan, McCain believes India can play a constructive role in the democratic development of Burma and Iran.
McCain seemed to criticize India’s cooperation with these countries–especially Burma–by acknowledging that he understood India’s dilemma in supporting democracy but not wanted to cede the territory to China:
“Still, free nations like ours will never beat a government like China at its own game. Instead, we should recognize that democracy in Burma and Iran would be one of the greatest guarantors of U.S. and Indian security–and that our democratic values are actually a strategic asset, because they align us with the vast majority of people in Burma and Iran who long to be free. Ultimately, Iranians and Burmese will reclaim their countries, and when they do, they will remember who was on the right side of their history.”
McCain advocated more military cooperation between the U.S. and India, as well as an increased leadership role for India in the region.
Though he stressed intelligence sharing, and referenced India’s role in fighting terrorism worldwide, McCain pinpointed several specific proposals for broader military collaboration.
“There is no reason why India cannot post more officers at higher levels within PACOM and CENTCOM, with corresponding increases in representation for U.S. officers at India’s commands,” McCain said. “And there is no reason why we cannot work to facilitate India’s deployment of advanced defense capabilities, such as nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, missile defense architecture, as well as India’s inclusion in the development of the Joint Strike Fighter.”
But McCain quoted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in raising concerns about a “new assertiveness” in China’s foreign policy, such as its arms sales to India’s neighbors, its construction of deepwater ports circling India’s waterways, its refusal to settle its border disputes with India, its undermining of sanctions against Iran and North Korea, and its refusal to revalue its currency.
McCain was clear about the need to show strength in the face of China’s provocations.
“Therefore, while India and the United States each continue to encourage a peaceful rise for China, we must recognize that one of the greatest factors for shaping this outcome, and making it more likely, is a robust U.S.-India strategic partnership–as well as our ability to multiply our power together with like-minded states,” he said.
McCain concluded by focusing on India’s democracy, maintaining that it should be treated as such by including India in the International Energy Agency, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the parts of the global nonproliferation regime from which it is excluded, and even the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member.
“If we want India to join us in sharing the responsibilities for international peace and security, then the world’s largest democracy needs to have a seat at the high table of international politics,” he said.