India, Australia, US trilateral can help prevent Taliban regaining control: Study
New Delhi, Nov.7 (ANI): With the US strategy in Afghanistan hitting serious roadblocks with its sharply deteriorating relations with Pakistan, a trilateral mechanism between the U.S., Australia, and India can help prevent Taliban elements from regaining control, suggest three prominent global think tanks in joint paper.
The paper, written by scholars from the Heritage Foundation, US, Observer Research Foundation, India and Lowy Institute for International Policy, Australia, points out that all these three countries share the goal of stabilising Afghanistan and ensuring that it does not again become a safe haven for international terrorists.
The paper suggested that the three countries should increase consultations and information and intelligence sharing on terrorist networks. These groups include al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jemaah Islamiyah, and other groups and individuals that are loosely or closely affiliated with al-Qaeda. This trilateral cooperation could extend to discussion of how to prevent globally inspired but locally generated attacks.
The paper said Washington and Canberra should bolster New Delhis initiatives to shore up the countrys democratic institutions and promote respect for the rights of women and religious minorities as a guard against Taliban extremists gaining ground in Afghan politics. As a long-time target of terrorism linked to entities in Afghanistan, India has every right to safeguard its interests there, the paper said.
The joint project, titled Shared Goals, Converging Interests: A Plan for US-Australia-India Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific were carried out by Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan and Ms Lydia Powell of ORF, Lisa Curtis and Walter Lohman of the Heritage Foundation and Rory Medcalf and Andrew Shearer of the Lowy Institute.
The paper was launched in India on Monday with a panel discussion with the participant scholars and other experts. In the inaugural address, Dr. Kim R. Holmes, the Vice President of the Heritage Foundation and former US Assistant Secretary of State, said rising China and other concerns would eventually drive India and the US into closer cooperation.
I believe that growing strategic challenges presented by a rising China and continuing threats from terrorism in the region will inevitably drive the US and India to cooperate more closely on defence and other key sectors like space, maritime security and nuclear nonproliferation, Dr. Holmes said.
While highlighting the fact that it would become difficult for the US to maintain its commitments in Asia given the financial problems, Dr. Holmes said that his organisation advocated the improving relations with India as well as supported robust alliances and finding new partners for cooperation.
Dr. Holmes said it was in the interest of all the three countries to begin a dialogue.
Talking about Chinas rise and its implications on the region, Dr. Holmes said China has a long standing strategy to expand its influence beyond its borders, particularly in the South China Sea. He said China raising objections to such a trilateral cooperative dialogue should not discourage the three countries from moving forward.
Dr. Rajeswari Rajagopalan, a co-author of the paper, advocated that the dialogue could also facilitate Indias entry into some of the technology control regimes such as the Australia Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Missile Technology Control Regime and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. This is particularly relevant in this grouping as Canberra is a permanent chair of the Australia Group. She also noted that while North Korea and Iran pose individual nonproliferation challenges, the larger challenge is the crisis of the nonproliferation regime itself.
The paper said since the U.S., Australia, and India face common challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region like sea-lane security, counter-terrorism, nonproliferation, and disaster relief, a trilateral dialogue between these countries would give them an opportunity to understand and act together to address current and future challenges more effectively.
Such an attempt to arrive at a mutual understanding of each others concerns will help promote the Indo-Pacific as an area conducive to economic and political stability, security, free and open trade, and democratic governance, the joint paper said.
While the U.S. security pacts with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines will remain the key pillars of U.S. foreign policy in Asia, US-India-Australia trilateral cooperation should be a critical element of this underpinning, it noted.
The U.S. and Australia already participate in the robust Trilateral Strategic Dialogue with Japan, which was upgraded to the ministerial level in 2006. The framework of the dialogue has evolved over time with changes in political leadership, but the logic of a trilateral partnership based on a combination of values, interests, and capabilities has survived. This logic would naturally accommodate a rising India, the paper said.
The paper also said that improving collaboration in the defense sector among all three nations would better prepare them to limit the impact of any military conflict in the region and to coordinate humanitarian relief as well as operations to deal with transnational security problems. With smart diplomatic management, establishing closer security cooperation and integrating defense capabilities will help to maintain peace and stability in the region and deter disruption of the territorial status quo or security of vital sea-lanes.
The paper suggested various measures to enhance trilateral defense collaboration, build confidence and trust in the sustainability and reliability of such a partnership.
TruthDive
New Delhi, Nov.7 (ANI): With the US strategy in Afghanistan hitting serious roadblocks with its sharply deteriorating relations with Pakistan, a trilateral mechanism between the U.S., Australia, and India can help prevent Taliban elements from regaining control, suggest three prominent global think tanks in joint paper.
The paper, written by scholars from the Heritage Foundation, US, Observer Research Foundation, India and Lowy Institute for International Policy, Australia, points out that all these three countries share the goal of stabilising Afghanistan and ensuring that it does not again become a safe haven for international terrorists.
The paper suggested that the three countries should increase consultations and information and intelligence sharing on terrorist networks. These groups include al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jemaah Islamiyah, and other groups and individuals that are loosely or closely affiliated with al-Qaeda. This trilateral cooperation could extend to discussion of how to prevent globally inspired but locally generated attacks.
The paper said Washington and Canberra should bolster New Delhis initiatives to shore up the countrys democratic institutions and promote respect for the rights of women and religious minorities as a guard against Taliban extremists gaining ground in Afghan politics. As a long-time target of terrorism linked to entities in Afghanistan, India has every right to safeguard its interests there, the paper said.
The joint project, titled Shared Goals, Converging Interests: A Plan for US-Australia-India Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific were carried out by Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan and Ms Lydia Powell of ORF, Lisa Curtis and Walter Lohman of the Heritage Foundation and Rory Medcalf and Andrew Shearer of the Lowy Institute.
The paper was launched in India on Monday with a panel discussion with the participant scholars and other experts. In the inaugural address, Dr. Kim R. Holmes, the Vice President of the Heritage Foundation and former US Assistant Secretary of State, said rising China and other concerns would eventually drive India and the US into closer cooperation.
I believe that growing strategic challenges presented by a rising China and continuing threats from terrorism in the region will inevitably drive the US and India to cooperate more closely on defence and other key sectors like space, maritime security and nuclear nonproliferation, Dr. Holmes said.
While highlighting the fact that it would become difficult for the US to maintain its commitments in Asia given the financial problems, Dr. Holmes said that his organisation advocated the improving relations with India as well as supported robust alliances and finding new partners for cooperation.
Dr. Holmes said it was in the interest of all the three countries to begin a dialogue.
Talking about Chinas rise and its implications on the region, Dr. Holmes said China has a long standing strategy to expand its influence beyond its borders, particularly in the South China Sea. He said China raising objections to such a trilateral cooperative dialogue should not discourage the three countries from moving forward.
Dr. Rajeswari Rajagopalan, a co-author of the paper, advocated that the dialogue could also facilitate Indias entry into some of the technology control regimes such as the Australia Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Missile Technology Control Regime and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. This is particularly relevant in this grouping as Canberra is a permanent chair of the Australia Group. She also noted that while North Korea and Iran pose individual nonproliferation challenges, the larger challenge is the crisis of the nonproliferation regime itself.
The paper said since the U.S., Australia, and India face common challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region like sea-lane security, counter-terrorism, nonproliferation, and disaster relief, a trilateral dialogue between these countries would give them an opportunity to understand and act together to address current and future challenges more effectively.
Such an attempt to arrive at a mutual understanding of each others concerns will help promote the Indo-Pacific as an area conducive to economic and political stability, security, free and open trade, and democratic governance, the joint paper said.
While the U.S. security pacts with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines will remain the key pillars of U.S. foreign policy in Asia, US-India-Australia trilateral cooperation should be a critical element of this underpinning, it noted.
The U.S. and Australia already participate in the robust Trilateral Strategic Dialogue with Japan, which was upgraded to the ministerial level in 2006. The framework of the dialogue has evolved over time with changes in political leadership, but the logic of a trilateral partnership based on a combination of values, interests, and capabilities has survived. This logic would naturally accommodate a rising India, the paper said.
The paper also said that improving collaboration in the defense sector among all three nations would better prepare them to limit the impact of any military conflict in the region and to coordinate humanitarian relief as well as operations to deal with transnational security problems. With smart diplomatic management, establishing closer security cooperation and integrating defense capabilities will help to maintain peace and stability in the region and deter disruption of the territorial status quo or security of vital sea-lanes.
The paper suggested various measures to enhance trilateral defense collaboration, build confidence and trust in the sustainability and reliability of such a partnership.
TruthDive
