A recent survey conducted by the United States-based global business intelligence company, Morning Consult shows that Indians view Washington as the second-most significant security threat, ahead of its neighbouring Pakistan. Furthermore, the survey accounting for 1,000 respondents also perceived China as the biggest military threat to New Delhi. Notably, Indians also place greater blame on Washington and NATO for the conflict in Ukraine than on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the survey, published on Tuesday, some 43 per cent of the 1,000 participants viewed China as the biggest military threat followed by the US at 22 per cent and Pakistan and Russia at 13 per cent. “While the world’s two largest democracies would seem to make for natural partners, especially given their mutual mistrust of China, Indians have strategic reasons to be wary of the world’s Western superpower,” said Sonnet Frisbie and Scott Moskowitz, who oversaw the survey, reported Bloomberg.
The duo also noted that with a rise in tensions between US and China, Indians might be worried about getting in the middle of a possible conflict between the two countries that “destabilises regional security, putting India at risk.” The poll conducted back in October also found that at least 60 per cent of respondents want the Indian government to continue the purchase of Russian oil.
Meanwhile, some 48 per cent of participants said that India should choose Russia as New Delhi’s preferred military equipment provider as opposed to the US. In the context of respondents blaming Washington and NATO for the conflict in Ukraine as opposed to Putin, the report noted that this “should not be taken as a sign that Indians approve of Russia’s actions”. As prior to the conflict, said Frisbie and Moskowitz, the “net favorability toward Russia among Indian adults was around 30 percentage points higher than net favorability toward NATO”, which was also similar to the US.
However, the net favorability toward Russia among Indian adults has plunged while the favorability of NATO and the United States is much less affected in comparison, said the report. New Delhi has managed to remain neutral in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv despite pressure from Western countries which could be attributed to India and Russia’s long-standing relationship and historic ties formed during the Cold War and India’s post-independence period.
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