Pakistan

Friday, December 28, 2012

America’s Silk Road Conundrum

America is facing another conundrum over its Silk Road strategy. It has tried to lure India to become an active instrument of America’s Silk Road strategy. However, it seems that Indians are in a different mood.

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said, “Let’s work together to create a new Silk Road … That means building more rail lines, highways, energy infrastructure, like the proposed pipeline to run from Turkmenistan, through Afghanistan, through Pakistan into India” in Chennai, India on 20 July 2011.

Hillary Clinton was trying to have a charm offensive.  But the Indians had a different idea. Indians warned Americans that “the situation concerning Iran cannot be allowed to escalate into conflict” through Delhi Declaration at the end of Fourth BRICS Summit on 29 March 2012.

They further warned Americans along with China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa that “transformation taking place in the Middle East and North Africa should not be used as a pretext to delay resolution of lasting conflicts but rather it should serve as an incentive to settle them, in particular the Arab-Israeli conflict”. BRICS Summit could not have used threatening language against Americans without the consent of its Indian host.

Americans conundrum is not just about the Silk Road strategy. It is facing a wider challenge to salvage its dwindling economic hegemony. Its days are numbered. It increasingly seems that Americans belongs to the graveyard of the history.