Indian Ambiguous Behavior in Indo-Pacific: Implications for the US

Abstract

Indian policies are ambiguous in the Indo-Pacific. It has maintained its strategic partnership with the US and trade ties with China simultaneously. US support for India is motivated by its policy of containment of China in the Indo-Pacific, whereas India has avoided the notion that it aims to balance China. India has been reluctant to convey this notion to the US straightforwardly, which has severe implications for Washington's interests in the Indo-Pacific. This article focuses on the various factors that have led to India's ambiguous behavior. These factors include its efforts to balance relationships with significant powers, diverse defense partnerships, involvement in multiple regional engagements, and economic priorities. The United States faces various challenges, such as achieving strategic alignment, countering China, promoting economic cooperation, shaping regional architecture, and building trust and reliability. The purpose of this article is to explore India's strategy using the theory of Hedging. The theory suggests that India's seemingly ambiguous behavior can be attributed to its security interests in line with those of the United States. In contrast, its economic interests are aligned with China. Primary and secondary data have been incorporated into the qualitative research methodology to conduct this research.