Nikki Haley Calls for a Formal Alliance Between US and India

US needs a new ally, wrote Haley and Waltz.

Image of Nikki Haley used for representational purposes.

(Photo: The Quint)

Indian American politician and former US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley along with Congressman Mike Waltz have called for a formal alliance between India and the United States. Mike Waltz is the vice chair of the India Caucus and both politicians are members of the Republican party.

This, they wrote, will help both countries to maintain their global power in times of China's aggressive postures, the PTI reported.

As a nuclear power with more than 1 million troops, a growing navy, a top-tier space programme, and a proven history of economic and military cooperation with the United States, India would make a strong ally.

Haley and Waltz in Foreign Policy

Their recent article in the Foreign Policy Magazine argued that India is a strategic and only ally the US can rope in to keep an eye on the developments in Afghanistan.

While talking about the "disastrous withdrawal" of the US from Afghanistan, they said, "with no US bases left in the region, China, Iran, Russia, and even Pakistan will influence the future of these terrorist groups, with little reason to help the United States."

"We need a new ally," they wrote.

With an alliance, India could allow us access to strategic bases to protect US interests in Afghanistan and the broader region," the politicians wrote while hinting at the India-operated Farkhor air base in Tajikistan.

The same, they said, can be applied to China's southern flank. It suggested that a US-India Alliance may be successful in pausing China's aggressive movements in the Asian region.

"A US-India alliance would also give us an edge over China. Like the United States, India recognises that China is a rapidly growing threat. Not only is it attempting to capitalise on our withdrawal from Afghanistan, which goes against both the United States and India's interests, China is also pressuring India on its own borders," Haley and Waltz said.

In the article, the two Republicans maintained that China's aggressive policies towards Indian borders are not by accident but part of the broader plan. They suggested that China was colluding with India's "longtime foe - Pakistan" and that would be a threat to both India and USA.

Haley and Waltz maintained that a formal alliance will be beneficial to both countries and "and together with Japan and Australia, it would enable the United States to form a real deterrent to potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan as well as counter China.”

The alliance which they think can be built on a "solid ground" of already existing partnership and military exercises. "Just this month, the U.S. military held joint exercises with hundreds of Indian soldiers in Alaska to strengthen cooperation and better prepare for cold, mountainous conditions like those in the China-India border region," they noted.

(With inputs from the PTI and American Bazaar)