INDIA'S 2025 GEOPOLITICAL IMPERATIVES TO PAUSE US-INDIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AND QUAD SECURITY INITIATIVE

India's foreign policy cannot operate in frozen molds of past geopolitical constructs but be reset to keep pace with unfolding geopolitics. United States Trump 2.0 Administration transactional pivot to Pakistan in complete disregard of India's strategic sensitivities dictate geopolitical impetrative to press the "Pause Button" on US-India Strategic Partnership and the QUAD Security Initiative.

On Pakistan, US President Trump2.0 has given enough indicators in last five months of spinning past US strategic policies on its head. President Trump 2.0 "Sanctified Pakistan's State Sponsored Terrorism" against India and "Beatified Pakistan Army Chief as Patron Saint of Washington" during a White House lunch hosted for General Munir.

 Elected leaders of Pakistan were missing from the White House Lunch. Is President Trump 2.0 vying for a "Regime Change" in Pakistan?

On China, too, President Trump 2.0 has exhibited propensity to temporize with China's strategic inclinations in the pursuit of 'trade deals'.

On both counts stated above, President Trump2.0 has cavorted with India's implacable enemies which carry geopolitical and strategic costs for India.

It needs to be recalled that the underpinnings of the US-India Strategic Partnership spanning four US Presidents of different political dispositions was the joint convergence between the two Nations on the 'China Threat'.

Similarly, it was President Trump 1.0 who actively resurrected the dormant QUAD after eight years of dormancy.

Implicit for India in both Secuity Relationships was the hovering factor of the 'Pakistan Threat' being automatically taken care of by US-India convergences on the 'China Threat'.

In 2025, nothing has changed on the 'China Threat' persisting in threat perceptions of both United States and India. On the contrary, the 'China Threat' has assumed more alarming proportions.

President Trump 2.0 political strategies on China and Pakistan, going by his public utterances, betray that when the chips would be down, the United States Trump 2.0 Administration would give India a 'transactional pass'.

The hallmark of President Trump 2.0 is geopolitical signaling with strategic ambiguities and this applies to his current approaches to India.

The crucial question in mid-2025 is therefore as to whether to honor Indian commitments to past US Presidents on the US-India Strategic Partnership and the QUAD, no longer perceptionaly validated by President Trump 2.0 ongoing policy stances on Pakistan and China?

'It takes two to do a tango' is a well-known precept. When President Trump 2.0 wants to "Tango" with Pakistan and China, going by his political signaling, India should not foreclose its geopolitical options of being "frozen" in past commitments no longer appealing to President Trump 2.0

Concluding, India would be geopolitically and strategically wise in tapping the" Pause Button" on both the US-India Strategic Partnership and the QUAD.

US-INDIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP2.0: INDIAN STRATEGIC DENOUEMENT VISIBLY SETTING-IN 2025

US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership laboriously crafted over 25 years, with bipartisan support both in United States and India is visibly under strain in mid-2025, resulting from President Trump's insensitivity to Indian strategic sentiments, by pivoting back transactionally towards Pakistan, in middle of Indian OP SINDOOR overwhelming military success in decapitation of Pakistan. 

Perceptionally, India at large, its strategic community and its highly nationalistic Middle Class, are deeply incensed by President Trump's hyperbolic assertions on Pakistan, in wake of India's deep airstrikes against Pakistan's critical airbases including those noted as hosting Pakistan's nuclear weapons. 

Indian Government responses maintained dignified diplomatic silence letting TV visuals and media responses to project realities. However, sensing India's public opinion outrage at President Trump's invalidated assertions, PM Modi publicly asserted, without naming President Trump. that 'there was no third-party mediation.'

India at large was incensed when soon after India had struck Pakistan's nuclear strike bases, President Trump drew "Strategic Equivalence" between Pakistan and India. It was akin to President Trump drawing 'strategic equivalence between Israel and Hamas/Hezbollah. Preposterous!!!

President Trump did not stop there. When Pakistan sued for ceasefire, soon after Pak airbases hosting nuclear weapons were struck, President Trump to garner self-acclaim, asserted that it was 'he' who had pressurized Pakistan and India for a ceasefire. The facts, as the world could see, are otherwise.

This leads to the crucial question as to why President Trump "reversed gears" at height of OP SINDOOR of initial US support for India's right to strike at terror threats?

Joining the dots, two US 'transactional tactically political expediency" motivations led to President Trump's "reversing gears " in support of Pakistan. The first was geopolitical, and the second motive borne out by media reports with Pakistani visuals related to Trump family high-level business deals with Pakistan hierarchy.

United States aware that it had convergent aims with Israel to strike at Iran's nuclear weapons strike capabilities foresaw the military eventualities of possible use of Pakistan as a springboard for US military intervention in Iran should a wider conflict escalate in the Middle East.

President Trump's family business interests seem to have come into play as the second motive played out by Pakistan media visuals. This related to his son and son-in-law's visit to Pakistan, coincidental in timings, with India's OP SINDOOR operations, wherein the Trump family business groups signed a multi-million crypto-currency deal with Pakistan. Pakistan visuals showed the Trump family with Pakistan Army Chief General Munir and Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif.

Concluding, while India has kept its commitments to the US-India Strategic Partnership "intact", the United States credibility as a "Reliable Strategic Partner of India" has come under severe perceptional strain in India.

Strategic course-corrections imperatives to contain growing denouement in India lies with the United States, specifically with President Trump to dispel perceptional misgivings his assertions have generated.

 

CHINA BIGGEST GEOPOLITICAL AND STRATEGIC LOSER IN INDIA'S MILITARY INCAPACITATION 'OP SINDOOR' STRIKES ON PAKISTAN MAY 2025: VENGEANCE FOLLOWS

 China perecptionally has suffered significant geopolitical and strategic losses in the wake of India's OP-SINDOOR incapacitating military strikes on Pakistan's 'Full Spectrum' offensive capabilities which rested on China-aided Nuclear Weapons, Chinese Combat Fighter Planes and China-installed Pakistan Air Defense Grid.

In one shattering blow, India's deep offensive Air Force strikes in Pakistan's Heartland of Punjab, had deflated Pakistan Army's bloated image of nuclear and conventional parity with Subcontinental India.

Pakistan's significant losses were both military and psychological.

 But China as Pakistan's preferred source of Pakistan's WMD and conventional arsenal suffered more significant perceptional geopolitical and strategic losses arising from Indian OP-SINDOOR military strikes on Pakistan.

Geopolitically, China's intrusive political and military stances in South Asia stand impacted because China failed to provide Pakistan with its 'Countervailing Power' to deter India from OP-SINDOOR crippling strikes on Pakistan's offensive capabilities.

South Asia Nations, both 'China-Clients' and 'Fence Sitters' would now need to recalibrate their playing the 'China Card' against India. If China could not stand actively in support of China's significant Chinese-aided 'Spoiler State" of Pakistan, would China actively support smaller South Asian States to withstand India's predominant military might?

China for long has financed and equipped Islamist Jihadi terrorist groups all over the world. In case of Pakistan, the Islamic Jihadi militias sponsored by Pakistan Army were not only aided by China materially but "protected" at United Nations from being UN-designated as Global Terrorists.

India's destruction of the Headquarters of these Pakistan Army proxy militias at Bahawalnagar and Muridke would be a sober deterrent to their terrorist operations against India.

Strategically, the myth of Chinese advanced military equipment superiority stands crumbled in wake of India's OP-SINDOOR offensive operations. Indian Air Force "pierced" through the array of Pakistan's Surveillance and Air Defense Grid to attack Pakistan Air Force Bases.

China-aided Pakistan Missiles were effectively foiled by India's indigenous Air Defense Grid. China's Advanced Fighter Planes of Pakistan Air Force were ineffective.

In short, China's weapon systems on which Pakistan's military staked its brinkmanship against India over decades, now stands crumbled.

Significantly, China is not going to take lying down its geopolitical and strategic losses emerging from OP-SINDOOR military strikes on Pakistan.

China rather than conceding India's military predominance in South Asia in wake of OP-SINDOOR would now with renewed vigor born out of vengeance would re-arm Pakistan, enhance its Air Force and AD Systems to whittle down India's military superiorities.

China would now redouble its military buildup of Bangladesh and prevent slippage of Nepal from its strategic orbit.

Concluding, surely, the Indian military establishment would be re-evaluating OP-SINDOOR operations and preparing itself for the next round.

India's next military round will be with China which will be itching to inflict losses on India in vengeance of its perceptional geopolitical and strategic losses suffered during OP-SINDOOR.