For a powerful post in his cabinet, the secretary of state, arguably the most powerful today given the geopolitical and trade situation in the world, Trump has chosen Republican Senator Marco Rubio, as per various media reports. The secretary of state is equivalent to an external affairs minister, a very important role today because Trump wants to steer his own course on foreign policy. The Trump administration will faces significant global challenges with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, whilst China strengthens its ties with Russia and Iran.
Rubio has earned a reputation as a conservative leader, particularly on foreign policy issues. He is known for his hawkish stance on countries like China, Iran, and Cuba. On China, he has maintained a firm stance. In 2019, he initiated a national security review of TikTok’s Musical.ly acquisition. As the leading Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, he continues to press for restrictions on Huawei.
Luckily for India, Rubio is not only a China hawk but also a supporter of India and does not like Pakistan’s use of terrorism as a tool of foreign policy.
When Marc Rubio plumped for India
In July, Rubio introduced a bill in American Congress that aimed to strengthen the US-India partnership and counter the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region. “In order to strengthen our partnership with India, itâ€s essential we increase our strategic relationship with New Delhi. Introduced a bill to best support India as they continue to face aggression from Communist China,” Marco Rubio said on X.
The most notable part of the Rubio’s Bill was the proposal to “treat India on par with US allies such as Japan, Israel, South Korea, and Nato allies in terms of technology transfers and support India’s response to increasing threats to its territorial integrity”. Such a status for India would cement India-US tech and military ties. The bill also sought to bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India.”Communist China continues to aggressively expand its domain in the Indo-Pacific region, all while it seeks to impede the sovereignty and autonomy of our regional partners. It’s crucial for the US to continue its support in countering these malicious tactics. India, along with other nations in the region, is not alone,” Rubio said after introducing the bill. Although the bill was unlikely to make significant progress in the Congress due to the short timeline, it might be reintroduced in the next Congress, given the bipartisan support for the India-US relationship.The bill outlines a Statement of Policy that the US will support India’s response to growing threats to its territorial integrity, provide necessary security assistance to deter adversaries, and cooperate with India in various areas, including defence, civil space, technology, medicine, and economic investments. If passed into law, the bill would provide a limited exemption for India from CAATSA sanctions for purchases of Russian equipment currently used by the Indian military.
In 2021, Rubio had introduced two bills to counter China’s efforts to collect US healthcare and genomics data both legally and illegally.
‘A third-rate power like Pakistan’
During a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan in 2021, Rubio highlighted the role of Pakistan in enabling the Taliban. He said multiple US administrations were guilty of ignoring Pakistan’s role in helping the Taliban to regroup, as other US senators expressed concern over the “double dealing†of Islamabad.
“India … I know that there was an announcement today there’ll be a meeting of the Quad fairly soon, which is a good development, except that the Indo-Pacific region, if you are India, you’re looking at this and saying, ‘If the United States allowed Pakistan to unravel their standing,” he said.
“Because the Pakistani role in all this – and I think multiple administrations are guilty of ignoring it. The Pakistani role in enabling the Taliban is ultimately a victory for those pro-Taliban hardliners in the Pakistani government,†Rubio told Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
“They (Indians) have to be looking at this and saying if the United States could have, you know, a third-rate power like Pakistan unravel its aims, what chance do they have of confronting China? So, I think this leaves us in a terrible situation,†Rubio said during the Congressional hearing on Afghanistan convened by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Rubio said that all these years, while the Taliban was suffering casualties, they enjoyed safe haven in Pakistan. “They were able to go there to rest, to refit, to train, to recruit. And so, in summary, even before the withdrawal, we had a terrible status quo. The security forces, a small number of US forces, you know, continued to die,†he said.
In 2017, Rubio was one of several influential US Senators who urged then secretary of state Rex Tillerson to designate Pakistan as a “country of particular concern” on the issue of religious freedom violation, saying its discriminatory laws continue to result in prosecution of individuals due to their faith.
(With inputs from TOI)
