India steps up engagement with Team Trump

NEW DELHI: After foreign secretary S Jaishankar, it was the turn of national security advisor Ajit Doval to engage with the outgoing and incoming US administrations.

During a visit to the US this week, Doval held talks with secretary of state John Kerry, national security advisor Susan Rice as well as incoming NSA Michael Flynn. India and the US have improved security and intelligence cooperation in the past few years, including in sensitive areas like AfPak. From frowning on India's presence in Afghanistan, the US has evolved its position significantly . In recent years, the US has openly welcomed Indian participation in

Afghanistan

's security sector.

The challenges to global security are expected to only increase in the coming years.It would be important for India to gauge the security priorities of the incoming US administration and talk about India's own interests in the neighbourhood. The Islamic State and its implications would play a big role in the security calculations of both countries in the coming years.

US-Russia relations are also important for India. While the incoming Donald Trump administration has not taken an enemy approach to Russia, it remains to be seen whether the US intends to reset Russia relations to more normal ones.One of India's interests here would be for the US to wean Russia away from China's vice-like grip. How the Trump administration deals with China will have huge implications for India's security interests, particularly in the Indian Ocean.