By PR Chari
Why did US Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, hurry to New Delhi immediately after he met Antony in the 11th Shangri-la dialogue in Singapore that ended on 3 June? A parallel can be found in Shakespeare’s drama Antony and Cleopatra. Romance apart, both were together seeking the leadership of the Roman Empire, which was ultimately established by Augustus (Octavian) after he defeated the two lovers in the naval battle of Actium (31 BC) to gain world dominance.
Was Panetta’s visit designed to pursue defense cooperation? It comprises several aspects, including arms sales, technology transfers, licenses and co-production of weapon systems, military exercises, evolving new doctrines, and service-to-service acquaintance. Rarely does the backdrop to defense cooperation viz. seeking greater congruence in identifying threats to national security excite public interest. Such issues are usually discussed in high security one-on-one meetings between leaders, who also reach agreement on how little the media should be informed.
For the record, Panetta had informed the New Delhi elite that defense cooperation with India is the lynchpin of America’s new strategy to expand its presence and military partnerships from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean region and South Asia. Panetta stressed the similarities between American and Indian strategic interests like ensuring open access to the global commons in the oceans, air, space and cyberspace domains. The defense relationship, he maintained, must proceed beyond its present ‘buyer-seller’ format to include ‘co-production’ and ‘high technology joint research and development’. All this was music to the ears of the Indian defense establishment.
Antony was circumspect, and spoke of strengthening the multilateral security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, but at a pace acceptable to the countries affected. While endorsing the Grotius principle deifying the freedom of the seas for peaceful navigation, Antony added that bilateral disputes should be settled by the countries concerned. In essence, Panetta’s ardour in ‘pushing the envelope’ was countered by Antony’s lack of enthusiasm.
Read the full story at Eurasia Review