SINO-WAHHABI LOBBY AGAIN FAILS TO DERAIL INDIA-US TIES

Since 2017, there have been a succession of intense efforts, which by now have become almost desperate, by the Sino-Wahhabi lobby aimed at derailing the strengthening trajectory of India-US ties under Prime Minister Modi and Presidents Trump and Biden.

- MADHAV NALAPAT

Given the hold that the lobby has within the Democratic Party, it has to be said to the credit of US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in particular that their commitment to a strong India-US partnership has helped the White House to resist pressure to bite into the poison pill of going the Justin Trudeau way. The Canadian PM, for undisclosed reasons, transparently sought to divert public attention and anger within the G7 from the PRC to the world’s most populous country and democracy, India, which under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a key partner of the G7.

That the Sino-Wahhabi lobby is thankless for past favours is clear from its recent criticism of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had for decades been close to several members of the lobby. The cause is his support for backing Israel in its battle against the military wing of Hamas. The reality is that failure by the IDF to eliminate the military wing of Hamas during the current campaign would ensure its metastising in different forms into the entire Middle East, endangering the rulers of even staunch backers of Hamas such as Qatar. While much more attention needs to be given to protecting civilians in all Palestinian territories from becoming collateral damage, the imperative of eliminating the military wing of Hamas as a lesson to other present and potential terror groups is evident. Such an outcome is what the Sino-Wahhabi lobby seeks to avert, so as to destabilise the region to its advantage.