Beijing, New Delhi and Islamabad are jockeying for position in Afghanistan after the US draws down most of its forces by the end of 2014. Against this backdrop, the first-ever triangular meeting between the US, India and Afghanistan on Tuesday in New York sent yet another signal that the US is looking to replace Pakistan with India in its stabilization plans.
Washington wants India to fill up a post-US vacuum in Afghanistan and to take a more active role in training Afghan security forces. There is irony in the situation as the same US administration wanted India to downsize its footprint in Afghanistan till a couple of years ago for fear of offending Pakistan. Islamabad has always resisted a bigger Delhi role in Kabul as they have different visions for Afghanistan, and they seek to advance highly disparate interests.
looking beyond borders 