Relations between the United States and South Asia have historically developed
within the constraints imposed by the Cold War. These forced, on the
one hand, the United States and the Western bloc to favour the consolidation
of a common defence between India and Pakistan to prevent the advance of
communism. Faced with the obstacle of India’s non-alignment, Washington
will opt for an alliance limited to Pakistan. On the part of Islamabad, foreign
relations were aimed at redressing the strategic imbalance at regional level.
The alliance will prove unsatisfactory for both actors, leading to a progressive
divergence between the two members of the alliance, despite Washington’s attention
to not compromising the political and military balance in the area. In
2017 the Trump presidency has therefore inherited a delicate legacy and initially
attempted to make a clear change, unequivocally shifting the focus of
American interests towards Delhi. However, the resurgence of the threat of
conflict in 2025 has demonstrated how the delicacy of the strategic balance in
the Subcontinent prevents a radical change in US foreign policy.
