- The first attempt was the formulation of the containment policy and the creation of Nato and other alliance systems.
- The second attempt was Henry Kissinger’s trip to Beijing, which resulted in China being weaned away from communism and embracing the market economy.
These two attempts were within the framework of a bipolar world. That world order came to an end with the Paris Peace Conference of November 19, 1991, followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and collapse of international communism. Now the third attempt is to befriend India as a balancer of power in Asia and the world. The first two attempts were within the framework of a bipolar world. Bush made it clear in reply to a question in the Hyderabad House press briefing that the new policy towards India was necessitated by changes the international system.
The US is no longer an unchallenged superpower. It is the foremost power in a world of balance of power, consisting of besides the US, the EU, Russia, China and India. While the US will continue to be militarily unchallengeable, its dominance in other areas, economy, science, technology and industrial and agricultural production is diminishing. Other major powers are no longer prepared to line up behind it seeking security protection against a perceived threat from another superpower as happened during the Cold War. The centre of gravity of global economy is shifting from the trans-Atlantic area to Asia. Four out of the six balancers of power are in Asia. The threat to US homeland is posed by terrorists hailing from West Asian countries. Asia also has most of the oil and gas reserves of the world. Hence Asia’s importance today.
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