During the India Pak war of 1971, US and Britain had their ships near Indian waters to threaten India. While it was Soviet that sent ships to support India. http://www.theworldreporter.com/2011/10/1971-india-pakistan-...
Russia collaborated with India in setting up nuclear reactors when the west was imposing sanctions.
https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-civil-nuclear-agree...
Nope, first it would be Russia that would help India. Russia has been the long term trust worthy friend of India.
Ideally, yes, India should align with the West and probably wants to. But, without a NATO like equivalent that guarantees protection India gains nothing by aligning solely with the West instead of a known bad weather friend Russia.
Some initial read on Russia (USSR) helping in the 1971 war - https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/governa...
PS: this is just my limited understanding and how many see this in India.
Pardon my silly US lack of knowledge
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India%E2%80%93Russia_relations
I, as an American, was unaware of Russian-Indian relations until that visit.
This is also the problem with Ukraine. NATO members may like Ukraine and India for being democracies, but that's not worth much if they won't step up to defend when those democracies are under attack.
I think the US, EU or NATO should form a broader alliance that extends this mutual defense to all democracies, at least when under attack by dictatorships. Not doing so gives dictatorships a free reign to attack democracies just outside NATO's borders, as we're seeing with Ukraine.
And I'm mentioning the EU because I think being a democracy should also automatically come with beneficial free trade agreements.
We like to talk much about how democracy is better, but if we leave struggling democracies to fend for themselves, democracy will always be under attack. I think that's a much better idea than allying with autocracies, as the US certainly has done way too often in the past.
Well, over the last twenty years it's arguably been democracies doing the attacks, to be fair...
Maybe it would make more sense to rebuild supranational institutions that, y'know, actually make people figure things out. The UN Security Council has been effectively sidestepped since 2001, to the irritation of many. We need to rebuild mechanisms to resolve problems.
No matter how the war turns out, Russia will be significantly weakened. The isolation from the West will force it into a closer and subservient relationship with China. There is no way Russia will take India's side against China.
Even US understands it - https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1497314441141972993?t=X8Yc55p...
The US supplying military aid, specifically F-16s, to Pakistan has been the biggest issue for a US/India strategic relationship.
India is not really west-aligned. The US also isn't exactly unfriendly with Pakistan and hasn't helped stability in that region, which India isn't happy about.
India likely also would rather have a useful Russia than China dominate entirely, and has long-standing existing trade etc relationships with Russia, where afaik India has gotten little downside or pressure from. Also, Russia is a source of cheap energy. Along the same lines, the west isn't interested in antagonizing India because it's important for influence in the region, so is unlikely to escalate unless really pushed - and buying fossil fuel which the west also hasn't entirely stopped doing it isn't pushing very hard. India does not fit in a neat this-side/that-side box here, and nobody is interested in forcing them to do so, because they might very well choose the wrong box.
In most diplomatic disputes, the Ussr (and later to some extent, Russia) sided with India, while USA sided with Pakistan.
Even though India has been a democracy, relationships with the USA (and most western nations) have been cool, at best.
>> wouldn't that come back to bite them potentially if China aggressed on India in a potentially parallel border dispute?
I doubt USA would do anything if China and India went to war; USA and India are sort of aligned in trying to contain China, but in itself this isnt a strong enough factor to counter all the other bad blood over the years.
It also doesnt help that the American political system is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde-- one President can promise you anything, the next will completely overturn it. Trump tearing up Obama's Iran deal is an example (but this goes beyond just Trump). Most Asian/Arab countries know you can't trust America-- Obama betraying long term ally Mubarak (in Egypt) and throwing him to the wolves is another example.
Hate Russia all you want-- but the general feeling is: Your deals/relationships with Russia won't change every 4 years, and you can build long term plans.
Maybe the "west" should.
We used to assume that every country will eventually become democratic, but recent years have shown there's quite a bit of pushback. But Russia and China would love to undermine the idea of democracy, and show it to be weak in ineffective. I think we've taken democracy for granted too much, and we should take it more seriously. Including supporting other democracies, when necessary.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/09/16/aukus-india-australia-u...
India is the largest democracy in the world by far, they should be a cornerstone of an alliance of democracies.
If that is fixed, next battle will be for your mind (I am looking at you mass media).
Democracy is fantastic when you've got an informed electorate interested in the truth and in good governance, but it can get really messy when hit with tribalism, celebrity worship, conspiracy thinking, and an overdose of propaganda.
That said, it's still better than the alternatives, because it's ultimately self-correcting.
Some people on the internet will moan, John Oliver will have some witty quip. Bono will say something insufferable. But at the end of the day, few in the west are gonna give a crap about a poor nation buying commodities on the cheap even if we don't like the source. China is the long term competitor in that region and the west isn't going to mind India buying Russian oil, and doing all sorts of things that we wouldn't allow in the west, if that's what it takes for them to be marginally stronger w.r.t. China.
Look at how the west treats the middle east. Nobody cares what terrible things KSA, Jordan, Israel, etc. do so long as they remain stable, don't align with our enemies and don't F with out interests. India, Vietnam, every other developing east Asian country gets the same treatment
A video from the perspective of an Indian YouTuber which covers how they see it was posted on HN a few days ago but was promptly flagged because it goes against the American propaganda. I know this comment will be too but at least if you have showdead, you may see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnfqgKTz3fk
If you look at a map of the Belt and Road initiative it makes no sense why India would be allied with the West long term. That is the next world order and now Russia is absolutely a part of it.
IMO the history books will view this event as an utter disaster for the West and a gain for Belt and Road that would have been tough get otherwise.
How does this purchase not ending hurting them in the sense that, if they buy Russian oil in this crisis in defiance of the West's objections; wouldn't that come back to bite them potentially if China aggressed on India in a potentially parallel border dispute?