- Pakistan supported US role in the conflict and recommended a Nobel Prize for Trump
- India-US relations hinge on US-Russia talks over Russian oil supplies
- Abrahms warned America First policy risks harming US financial and military ties
The way the US treated India at the end of Operation Sindoor shows a lack of expertise on their part in terms of understanding how to act towards India, Max Abrahms, an international security professor and author on terrorist dynamics said.
In an interview with ANI, Abrahms said that India does not feel respected by the US in its treatment, "Pakistan became very vocally supportive of the US role and recommended a Nobel Prize for Trump, whereas India really chipped at the level of US involvement and especially Trump claiming so much credit for the course of the short war."
He explained how even though India is the largest democracy in the world, with the largest population and will soon be the third largest economy, the Trump administration does not regard India as a "fully independent country on the world stage". He also said that because of how the US is treating India, it seems like it does not fully appreciate its contributions.
"I cannot really say with any level of confidence exactly what the Trump administration's role was", Abrahms said regarding Trump's claim of being involved in stopping the conflict between the two South-Asian nations.
He stated that India-US relations are dependent on the US-Russia meeting, as Russian oil is the major bone of contention between US and India, adding, "We need to be a little bit patient in terms of the meetings between Trump and Putin".
Highlighting how important it is for the US to mend its relations in the Indo-Pacific in order to control China, he said, "But you know the China threat isn't going away and the United States, especially under this administration, sees China as a threat that needs to be contained. And that is going to require the US to mend relations with allies in the Indo-Pacific region", adding that this aspect makes him "optimistic" about moving forward.
He pointed out that the US cannot become isolated or have asymmetrical trade relations with other countries as we live in a globalised world. He said, "If something's bad for the Indian economy, it's also not good for the US economy" and noted that it is in the US interest for the Indian economy to grow.
Warning about how "dangerous" Trump's 'America First' policy is, he said, "That's a dangerous path to go down. It can have not just a negative effect on the financial system, but also in terms of military ties."
