India was once a bulwark against cold war militarism – but now, under US influence, it is buying weapons at an alarming rate

Mustafa Qadri
guardian.co.uk Saturday 8 August 2009 15.00 BST

“We both seek a more secure world for our citizens,” wrote US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on the eve of her recent visit to India last month.

Clinton made no secret of the prospects of stronger ties between the US and India. With its ever-growing economy and regional clout, large pool of labour and equally massive markets, India is a juicy prospect for American planners, and business.

During the visit, both countries agreed to an annual “strategic dialogue” chaired by the two foreign ministers and attended by a wide range of government and industry representatives from several sectors including agriculture, energy, education and security. The dialogue reflects the most comprehensive integration of India into the US sphere of influence.

It is a far cry from the days when, as founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, India was a bulwark against cold war militarism. Today, India is very much seeking an American alignment.

While in India, Clinton and her Indian counterpart SM Krishna signed off on the innocuous-sounding end user monitoring agreement. The agreement opens the door to the sale of high-tech American weaponry to the world’s second most populous nation. That includes an upgrade of India’s air force – already the fourth largest in the world – estimated to be worth up to $12bn. It’s a prize, dubbed “the world’s richest fighter aircraft deal in 15 years“, that has the world’s largest arms manufacturers scrambling for a slice. US mega-corporations Boeing and Lockheed Martin are believed to have the inside running following the agreement.

India and the US also agreed on a deal that will enable US companies to build two nuclear reactors in India. Although part of a civilian programme, it reflects a growing American acceptance of India’s nuclear credentials. As Zia Mian notes, India is one of only three countries including Israel and Pakistan that is producing new fissile material for nuclear weapons. Over the past 12 months, India has tested powerful nuclear-capable missiles with ranges of up to 5,000km. The US has remained silent on these tests.

The consequences of these developments for regional politics are significant. For one, there is much consternation within Pakistan over this glaring double standard.

The Obama White House has gone to great lengths to demand that Pakistan end its support for militants targeting India. It wants the Pakistan army to end its “obsession” with India-inspired oblivion by moving its large reserves from the Indian border to engage the Taliban and al-Qaida on the eastern frontier. Most of Pakistan’s active armed forces are located on the tense border with India where they are more than matched by the much larger Indian military.

At the same time, the US – along with, to a much lesser extent, China and almost all other major arms exporting nations (pdf) – has continued to sell billions in sophisticated weaponry to both India and Pakistan.

The militarisation of Pakistan is well known internationally. The army dominates the country’s economy and regional policies and has considerable clout in domestic politics. Ever since the 1950s it has looked to foreign governments like the US and China for its arms. Since Sepember 11, 2001, it has been and continues to be lavished with billions of military aid ostensibly to battle the Taliban and al-Qaida.

But it isn’t alone.

“India,” says the online magazine Defence Professionals, “finds itself in an enviable position as both Russian, as well as the US and other western nations’ industries, are very keen on selling it military equipment.” The country is militarising at a breathtaking rate, increasing its defence expenditure for this year by 34% to $34bn (Australian), up from a 10% increase in last year’s budget which was $26bn. The government plans to spend anywhere between $35-60bn on its arsenal over the next five years. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India is the tenth largest military spender in the world.

India recently unveiled the first of a fleet of five nuclear submarines capable of firing nuclear warheads. Pakistan is understandably frightened by the prospects of an Indian navy capable of blockading its sea lanes. It describes the new fleet as a threat to regional peace and security. But for Indian planners China’s expanding network of ports from Pakistan to Burma is a much bigger concern.

India shares those concerns with the US, a key reason for a shift in American policy towards its nuclear arsenal under the previous Bush Administration. That policy, along with a push for an economically robust, militarised India, has continued under President Obama.

Last November’s attacks in Mumbai did much to catalyse the growing relationship between the US and India. US security officials were quick to offer their services to India while the attack, not the first or largest but the most significant strike against westerners in the subcontinent, fed into the mindset that Hindu-dominated India was another front in the international fight against Muslim terrorism. This mindset persists despite the fact that India has been engulfed by hundreds of Naxalite, or Maoist, rebellions that are unrelated to Islam.

Big ticket items like jet fighters and ballistic missiles are useless against such threats.

In India, like Pakistan and all other nations spending big on arms, the surge in military expenditure is seen as a necessary part of national prestige. As one Indian commentator remarked, nuclear power and weaponry is a “signal broadly to the world that India is a legitimate global power.” Such sentiments are routinely echoed over in Pakistan whenever its latest military hardware is showcased.

Given that around 520 million people live on less than $2 a day in both countries combined, the obsession with expensive military hardware is particularly alarming. Despite the grand rhetoric from Washington, the US is playing a central role in feeding this dangerous addiction.

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