{"id":1140,"date":"2025-04-24T11:27:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2025-04-24T11:27:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:27:41","slug":"vance-travels-to-india-with-high-stakes-foreign-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1140","title":{"rendered":"Vance Travels to India With High Stakes \u2013 Foreign Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome to\u00a0<em>Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s South Asia Brief.<\/p>\n<p>The highlights this week: U.S. Vice President <strong>J.D. Vance <\/strong>makes a high-profile trip to India with his family in tow, <strong>militants in Indian-administered Kashmir <\/strong>kill at least 26 tourists at a resort, and <strong>South Asian<\/strong> <strong>trade delegations<\/strong> arrive in Washington for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring meetings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/south-asia-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive South Asia Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.            <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-shortcode-newsletter=\"south_asia_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-south_asia_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-south_asia_brief newsletter-shortcode-south_asia_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletters-page newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-south_asia_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive South Asia Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-south_asia_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"South Asia Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-south_asia_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-south_asia_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"south_asia_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\">Sign Up<\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Vance Travels to India<\/h3>\n<p>India\u2019s government pulled out all the stops welcoming U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to New Delhi this week. An cabinet official, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AhfbRhsQ_oQ\">greeted<\/a> Vance and his family at the airport on Monday, and the capital was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sidhant\/status\/1914256386617380987\">decked<\/a> with U.S. flags.<\/p>\n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/significant-progress-in-bilateral-trade-agreement-talks-as-modi-welcomes-vance\/article69475805.ece\">met Vance<\/a> on Monday, bringing along two of his top foreign-policy aides: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. And on Monday evening local time, before Vance and his family left New Delhi for a few days of sightseeing in Jaipur and Agra, Modi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=t1sbIeiAAWk\">hosted<\/a> them for dinner.<\/p>\n<p>This was an especially significant trip. U.S. vice presidents rarely visit India: Vance is just the third to do so in the last 40 years, following Joe Biden in 2013 and George H.W. Bush in 1984. Additionally, second lady Usha Vance is Indian American, adding a level of cultural importance to the visit.<\/p>\n<p>Many senior U.S. officials have visited major tourist sites during trips to India. But for Vance\u2019s family, these excursions aren\u2019t purely symbolic; by leveraging the second lady\u2019s heritage, they could amplify cultural linkages and strengthen bilateral cooperation. Former Vice President Kamala Harris often spoke of her own Indian ancestry\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2023\/06\/23\/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-and-prime-minister-modi-of-the-republic-of-india-at-state-luncheon\/\">during Modi\u2019s state visit<\/a> to Washington in 2023\u2014but she never visited India while in the role.<\/p>\n<p>U.S.-India relations are now at a pivotal moment. New Delhi is keen to begin formal talks on a trade deal with Washington that would reduce tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, limiting the potential economic damage if U.S. President Donald Trump reinstates the 26 percent levy he imposed on India before announcing a 90-day pause on April 9.<\/p>\n<p>In February, Modi and Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefings-statements\/2025\/02\/united-states-india-joint-leaders-statement\/\">pledged<\/a> to pursue a trade deal, but India and the United States have positioned themselves to begin negotiations only in recent days. Just before Vance\u2019s arrival, the two sides <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/international\/india-us-proposed-trade-pacts-terms-of-reference-includes-about-19-chapters-sources\/article69468057.ece\">agreed<\/a> on the terms of reference for the talks. On Wednesday, an Indian delegation was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/india-us-finalise-terms-for-trade-deal-delegation-to-visit-washington-for-first-round-of-talks-report-101745052647658.html\">due to arrive<\/a> in Washington to hash out any outstanding issues, with the talks expected to begin soon afterward.<\/p>\n<p>Vance himself further raised the stakes of this week\u2019s visit: The vice president has emerged as a central player in the Trump administration\u2019s foreign policy. His views about the trade talks, a likely key point of discussion with Modi, carry significant weight. Based on an Indian <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2123302&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=1\">readout<\/a> of the Vance-Modi meeting, which noted that the two \u201cwelcomed the significant progress\u201d in negotiations, the vice president\u2019s appraisal was positive.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/india\/india-us-can-work-together-win-win-partnership-vp-vance-says-2025-04-22\/\">speech<\/a> that Vance gave on Tuesday at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur\u2014during which he warned of a \u201cvery dark time for all of humanity\u201d if the United States and India don\u2019t \u201cwork together successfully\u201d\u2014could be seen as a definitive take on the Trump administration\u2019s broader India policy.<\/p>\n<p>As important as Vance is, much of his trip was carried out with an eye toward his boss. One of his key objectives was to lay the groundwork for Trump\u2019s expected trip to India later this year for a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders\u2019 summit. Trump is a proponent of partnership with India, but he is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/united-states\/2019-01-20\/trump-doesnt-traveling-thats-bad-diplomacy\">averse to foreign travel<\/a>. (He did <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/feb\/24\/namaste-donald-trump-india-welcomes-us-president-narendra-modi-rally\">visit<\/a> India in 2020, during his first term.)<\/p>\n<p>Vance\u2019s visit to India provided an opportunity for both sides to make sure that Trump\u2019s plans are still on track and as a result to ensure momentum in bilateral relations amid all the uncertainties and volatility linked to commercial ties.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What We\u2019re Following<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Dozens killed in Kashmir.<\/strong> On Tuesday, militants <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/kashmir-tourist-attack-dc7067a18899d9e7ff7726d4e05982c3\">opened fire<\/a> at a tourist spot near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 26 people, most of them Indian; one was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sidhant\/status\/1914740823599591758\">identified<\/a> as a Nepali national. \u00a0A little-known Kashmiri group known as the Resistance Front <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/india\/kashmir-resistance-group-that-claimed-attack-tourists-indian-kashmir-2025-04-23\/\">claimed responsibility<\/a> for the attack, though the Indian government has not acknowledged the claim.<\/p>\n<p>The militants likely sought to puncture the Indian government narrative that normalcy and stability have been restored in Kashmir after New Delhi\u2019s 2019 decision to revoke the region\u2019s special autonomous status. That the attack happened while Vance was in India suggests those responsible may have also wanted to bring U.S. attention to the situation in Kashmir.<\/p>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/trump-putin-meloni-and-other-world-leaders-condemn-pahalgam-terror-attack\/article69480106.ece\">condemned<\/a> the attack\u2014one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in India in years\u2014and on Wednesday, Vance spoke to Modi by phone and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/india-news\/us-vice-president-jd-vance-calls-pm-modi-over-jammu-and-kashmir-pahalgam-terror-attack-reiterates-us-support-to-india-8237195\">said<\/a> the United States \u201cis ready to provide all assistance,\u201d according to India\u2019s Ministry of External Affairs.<\/p>\n<p>India will likely assume some complicity from Pakistan, which has backed militant groups that staged attacks in Kashmir in the past. In 2019, Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistani organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-india-47302467\">carried out<\/a> an operation that killed more than 40 Indian troops in Pulwama, prompting India to launch retaliatory airstrikes against what it said were terrorist targets in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>India-Pakistan relations are now relatively calm, but the scale and targeting of Tuesday\u2019s attack suggest that New Delhi will respond, likely with muscle. Indian officials cut two high-stakes international engagements short in response, with Modi <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/video\/morning-after-gunmen-shot-and-killed-at-least-26-tourists-at-a-resort-in-indian-controlled-kashmir-f4842e68d7854446b4fc7c36d70b5105\">departing<\/a> Saudi Arabia and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/fm-nirmala-sitharaman-cuts-short-us-visit-in-view-of-pahalgam-terror-attack\/article69481202.ece\">leaving<\/a> the United States with trade talks set to begin.<\/p>\n<p>Though New Delhi will likely consider military options, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/world-news\/india-suspends-indus-water-treaty-with-pakistan-day-after-pahalgam-terror-attack-that-killed-26-8238399\">announced<\/a> other dramatic steps on Wednesday: suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan; closing Attari-Wagah, the main land border crossing for each country; and downgrading diplomatic ties. Based on its initial messaging, the United States likely won\u2019t try to stand in the way of Indian retaliation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Trade delegations in Washington.<\/strong> The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings began this week, bringing senior trade and finance officials from across South Asia to Washington. This year, delegations will also look to meet with Trump administration officials to try to avoid being hit with higher tariffs when the 90-day pause on the levies ends.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd\/trade-market\/dhaka-to-send-high-level-delegation-to-us-over-recent-tariff-measures-1744825005\">Bangladesh<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/india-us-finalise-terms-for-trade-deal-delegation-to-visit-washington-for-first-round-of-talks-report-101745052647658.html\">India<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tribune.com.pk\/story\/2541541\/pakistan-seeks-to-boost-us-imports-amid-trump-tariffs\">Pakistan<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.lk\/front-page\/Govt--to-send-high-level-delegation--to-US-over-tariff-talks\/44-775555\">Sri Lanka<\/a>\u2014the South Asian countries initially hit with tariffs in addition to a 10 percent universal levy\u2014are all sending prominent officials to Washington for this purpose. India enjoys an advantage over its neighbors because it received a commitment from the United States in February to pursue trade talks.<\/p>\n<p>The discussions that officials from the other countries will have with their U.S. interlocutors this week will likely be less focused. Still, the clock is ticking, and these countries have some of the most fragile economies in South Asia and will want to do everything they can to keep extra tariff impacts at bay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Afghanistan, Pakistan pledge cooperation.<\/strong> Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, Pakistan\u2019s relations with the group\u2014an ally during the war years in Afghanistan\u2014have suffered. The Taliban\u2019s unwillingness to curb the presence of anti-Pakistan militants within Afghan borders has angered Islamabad, prompting it to stage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/01\/world\/asia\/pakistan-afghanistan-taliban.html\">cross-border operations<\/a> late last year and deepening tensions.<\/p>\n<p>However, recent days suggest that Pakistan is taking a new tack. After a round of earlier high-level engagements in both capitals, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/2597662\/pakistan\">traveled<\/a> to Kabul over the weekend and pledged to deepen cooperation in security, trade, transport, and connectivity.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic push isn\u2019t a drastic shift: The two sides have regularly held talks in recent years, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afintl.com\/en\/202412244697\">hours before<\/a> Pakistan began <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/12\/25\/pakistan-air-strikes-in-afghanistan-spark-taliban-warning-of-retaliation\">launching<\/a> its counterterrorism operations in late December. But the increasing frequency of talks is significant, pointing to considerable progress.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan has a strong interest in rapprochement with Afghanistan, which is an important trade partner and an important part of Islamabad\u2019s plans to expand connectivity in the region. Given the likelihood of a crisis with India after the attack in Kashmir this week, Pakistan would benefit from having one less border to worry about.<\/p>\n<p>All that said, a thaw in tensions could be short-lived: As long as militants continue to strike Pakistan from bases in Afghanistan and Islamabad continues to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c74z19pl7wgo\">take measures<\/a> that upset Kabul, it will be difficult to restore trust.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Under the Radar<\/h3>\n<p>For three weeks, thousands of teachers have been <a href=\"https:\/\/thehimalayantimes.com\/nepal\/agitating-teachers-continue-to-protest\">protesting<\/a> in Kathmandu, Nepal, calling on the Federal Parliament to pass an education bill that would bring more job security to educators. The bill has languished in the legislature for a year and a half\u2014which, coupled with the perception that lawmakers don\u2019t care about the teachers\u2019 concerns, has galvanized the protestors.<\/p>\n<p>Parliamentarians are now feeling the pressure: Though the demonstrations have caused traffic jams and other inconveniences and strikes have shut down schools, the teachers\u2019 cause has <a href=\"https:\/\/risingnepaldaily.com\/news\/60663\">earned sympathy<\/a> from the general public.<\/p>\n<p>The protests have now become a crisis for Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, whose <a href=\"https:\/\/asianews.network\/nepal-pm-oli-urges-agitating-teachers-to-return-to-schools\/\">calls<\/a> for the teachers to end their campaign and negotiate with his government have been ignored. On Monday, the country\u2019s education minister <a href=\"https:\/\/thehimalayantimes.com\/nepal\/education-minister-bhattarai-resigns-amid-teachers-protests\">resigned<\/a> from her post.<\/p>\n<p>The teachers\u2019 protests are a microcosm of broader malaise in Nepal. Growing dissatisfaction with the country\u2019s political class is rooted in a feeling that it is out of touch with public sentiment and either unwilling or unable to address serious concerns, such as economic stress. This has contributed to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/28\/world\/asia\/nepal-protests-monarchy-violence.html\">surge of protests<\/a> supporting the reinstatement of Nepal\u2019s monarchy, which was abolished in 2008.<\/p>\n<p>Nepal has had 13 governing coalitions since then. If the current crisis worsens, and especially if there are other cabinet-level resignations, yet another government could collapse.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>FP\u2019s Most Read This Week<\/h3>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Regional Voices<\/h3>\n<p>In the <em>News International<\/em>, scholar <strong>Sharmila Faruqi<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenews.com.pk\/print\/1303396-balochistan-s-tipping-point\">argues<\/a> that Pakistan must shift its policy approach in the restive province of Balochistan. \u201cThe path forward demands courage\u2014not just from the Baloch, but from the state itself,\u201d she writes. \u201cCourage to acknowledge past mistakes. Courage to invest in people, not just projects. Courage to differentiate between those misled and those malicious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the <em>Daily Star<\/em>, attorney <strong>Ehteshamul Haque<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailystar.net\/opinion\/views\/news\/reforms-vs-elections-false-choice-aspiring-democracy-3876631\">offers<\/a> a solution to Bangladesh\u2019s political challenges. \u201cThe medicine for bad politics is better politics. The perfect rejoinder to the last 15 years of autocracy is to return to the practice of democracy, with a durable system that can hold free and fair elections after every parliamentary term. \u2026 That is a dream worth pursuing,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n<p>In the <em>Kathmandu Post<\/em>, watershed expert <strong>Madhukar Upadhya<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kathmandupost.com\/columns\/2025\/04\/21\/nepal-s-worsening-water-crisis\">warns<\/a> of Nepal\u2019s increasingly serious water crisis. \u201cThe periodic plans and methods adopted must do away with the traditional template and factor in the massive shift that society and the environment are undergoing,\u201d he writes. \u201cOur actions must keep pace with the change, lest we flounder further.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/04\/23\/india-vance-trip-modi-trump-trade-stakes\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to\u00a0Foreign Policy\u2019s South Asia Brief. The highlights this week: U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance makes a high-profile trip to India with his family in tow, militants in Indian-administered Kashmir kill at least 26 tourists at a resort, and South Asian trade delegations arrive in Washington for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politcical-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}