The first 2+2 dialogue between India and the US has broken new ground between the two ‘natural allies’ and can legitimately be called (yet another) ‘defining moment’ (to use the words of the US Defence Secretary James Mattis) in their growing strategic relationship. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the 2+2 was the signing of the second ‘foundational agreement’ – Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), which is the India-specific version of the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA).

For now, India will, however, need to draw a balance between geo-economics, geopolitics and geo-strategy. This is easier said than done. Iran and Russia have been, and to some extent still are, critical partners. But when stacked up against the US and its allies, they don’t really add to much, especially in geo-economic terms. India does hundreds of billions of dollars of trade with the US and its allies. But India’s trade with Iran is just around $14 billion (most of it oil that India imports). While Russia remains India’s largest weapons supplier, in recent years there have been serious problems in the relationship. In the realm of geopolitics, there is a growing divergence between India on the one hand and Iran and Russia on the other. Whether it is on Afghanistan and Taliban, or on other issues related to India’s security and strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific and rest of the Indian Ocean, there is a growing convergence between India and the US, while there is a divergence with Iran and Russia.

Even on the issue of terrorism, the US has done a lot more than any other country in addressing India’s concerns. From sanctioning Pakistan-based terrorist chiefs and organisations to sharing intelligence and information on terrorists, and from forcing Pakistan on to the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to pressuring Pakistan to clean up the terror swamps that function with impunity in that country, the US has done a lot. That these actions haven’t been very successful in ridding Pakistan of its addiction to jihadism is another matter. In fact, the US hasn’t been able to pressure Pakistan enough in its own cause, so for India to complain that the US hasn’t done enough for India doesn’t make too much sense. Of course, unless India expects that the US to bomb Pakistan into the stone age for its sake (not a bad idea, really), India needs to accept that there are limits to how far the US can or will go because it has other interests to protect.