India as a Net Security Provider in Indo-Pacific and Implications for the Region

Abstract

The US determination to preserve the status-quo and consolidate its global pre-eminence as the sole superpower and China‘s objective to enhance its share in the global power structures are creating US and China great power competitors in the world, specifically in the Asia-Pacific. The initial US Asia-Pacific strategy, which the Trump administration termed as Indo-Pacific strategy, aims to contain China by increasing military presence and making counter-weights in the region. In this 'containing China‘ strategy, India is an important ally and the US sees India‘s potential in the Indian Ocean and beyond as a multiplying factor that could work towards furthering its strategic interests in the region. Therefore, in the wake of US Indo-Pacific Strategy, India portrays itself as an assertive American ally to emerge as a 'net security provider‘ that could further promote the latter‘s vested interests in the region. Hence, the active western support to India contributes to New Delhi‘s pursuit of becoming a regional hegemon. This puts other countries, including Pakistan and China, in serious security dilemma where their legitimate security interests are threatened by the Indo-US attempts to dominate the region. These trends suggest that regional stability is likely to face severe setbacks, and the countries might find themselves in serious military confrontations with each other.