For more than a waiver

Context: The announcement by Russia that supplies of the S-400 Triumf system to India have already begun.

Challenges before S-400 deal

• Conflict of Interest with US: In 2017, the U.S. had passed its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that provided for economic and travel sanctions against countries and officials that transacted significant military and intelligence contracts with Russia, North Korea and Iran. 
• Conditional Waiver from US: Waiver if found to be in American “vital national security interests”, or, that India would reduce its future dependence on Russian weaponry.

Way Forward 

• Convince US: Assert on point that the deal is an essential part of India’s defences at a time of challenges on its eastern and western frontiers.
• Raise concerns over common areas of interest: India is a prized U.S. partner — of the Quad, the Indo-Pacific and in countering China. US should be made aware that the sanctions will cause a rift in India-U.S. ties, and could spur India towards Russia.
• Assert on Strategic Autonomy: U.S. should be made to recognise its unilateral sanctions and India acceding to such sanctions amounts to becoming a party to a bilateral dispute and challenges the nation’s principles of sovereignty and strategic autonomy.

Conclusion: India must make it clear to US that CAASTA should be abandoned, as it negates the very “rules-based international order” that is the foundation of the India-U.S. global strategic partnership. 

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