President Biden announced a Pentagon Task Force to review it’s ‘China Strategy’. On 8th February, President Biden called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The next day, India and China announced disengagement and the next day, President Biden called upon President Xi Jinping. The Biden administration has set the ball rolling gradually across the Globe. It has re-assured Japan that the umbrella of Nuclear deterrence is guaranteed in case of an attack on Japan. Europe and the NATO were called to announce that US Foreign Policy is back.
The pause on War in Yemen is a really tough move for Saudis to digest that they might have American support, but not a 100%. Iran is a difficult task for US to handle now. It was already very cluttered when President Obama did the JCPOA. Then for President Trump to just move out of it meant that America had made it all the more messier. Inheriting the legacy of his predecessors, President Biden wants Iran to submit to an inquiry to review it’s proliferation if it wants the sanctions to be re-lifted. On the other hand, Iran is of the opinion that they don’t trust the American Leadership anymore and so they first want the sanctions to be re-lifted and then they will come to the negotiating table.
The decision to review the ‘Afghanistan Withdrawal Deal’ has changed the dynamics altogether. For Taliban to talk to America, ISI had to intervene. How would the Taliban Leadership take this if the deal is not honoured? After almost settling for everything, the Biden administration turned to the Big Picture – India and China. Three of the “Famous Neighbours” have taken some moves in the last two days. While India and China announced disengagement in Ladakh, Pakistan tested it third surface-to-surface missile in less than 30 days. The Army or the ISI in Pakistan carries out something with a single point agenda – sending signals to India. In this case, what can be the signal they are trying to send?
Maybe Pakistan is trying to say that while China has withdrawn, we are still very much here. Beijing must have settled for disengagement because it knows that it has to engage New Delhi into not formalising any sort of alliance with Washington. So, while they review their counter ‘USA Strategy Framework’, they will ease the tensions at borders to re-strategize against Biden administration. Meanwhile though, in order to keep India engaged, it might have asked its rogue state to show aggression. Whatever the case be, India has to be cautious because this is not a resolution of decades old border dispute, this is just disengagement from some parts of LAC.
