WHAT TRUMP SAID DOES NOT REFLECT US POLICY

The Donald Trump administration is drawing close scrutiny against the backdrop of the recent India-Pakistan conflict.

- BY SANJIB KR BARUAH

There has been a slew of theories about the American game-plan or even the lack of it. THE WEEK speaks to Michael Kugelman, a leading Washington, DC-based South Asia analyst.

Q. India has reacted to President Trump claiming credit for the Indo-Pak ceasefire. What do you think is guiding him? What is his Indo-Pak strategy?

A. I am not sure the approach is that strategic. This is likely a case of Trump being intrigued by the complexity and intractability of India-Pakistan relations, and wanting to crack the code so to speak. He is, after all, someone who likes to be seen as the ultimate dealmaker. When he talks of a thousand-year crisis, the hyperbole likely conveys his sense that it’s a serious challenge that he would like to take a stab at fixing.

Q. There is also a feeling that Trump is undermining India. What is your take?

A. Certainly, Trump's comments won't go down well in New Delhi because of Indian sensitivities about external involvement in its bilateral crises, and especially involvement that goes public. The question is how Delhi will react. If it simply shrugs this off as a 'Trump will be Trump' moment and a reflection of his unpredictability and tendency to say things off the cuff that don't reflect actual policy, then the damage should be minimal. But if he keeps making these comments and the administration actually makes active efforts to push the sides to hold talks, then the relationship could face some turbulence.

Q. There is a dominant feeling that President Trump's recent pronouncements have hyphenated India and Pakistan. New Delhi says the perpetrator and the victim cannot be equated. Is there is a think-ing behind this in Washington?