India should look forward to cementing relations further with United States under the new presidency of Donald Trump. With his historical win hopes of change in domestic and international relations has risen and India would like to see the relations turning for better. Foreign policy challenges for Trump will include eliminating ISIS, renegotiating the NATO treaty, reconfiguring US relations with Russia and the war in Syria and illegal immigration. President Trump now has the mandate to navigate the party to the future with a mix of conservatism and populism. On the contrary Pakistan looks worried over the change in US administration though being an historical ally in the region. Islamabad and Washington have seen relations sour over US accusations that Pakistan shelters Islamist militants, a charge Pakistan denies. They hit new lows in May when a US drone killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban movement on Pakistani territory. At the same time, Pakistan’s ties with traditional rival India have also deteriorated this year, with India saying Pakistan-based militants killed 19 of its soldiers in a September attack on the Uri army base in the disputed Kashmir region. The American foreign policy is based on national interest and they don’t change even if the government changes. It has to be seen how America will decide on Afghan and its troop’s deployment. Even after toppling the Taliban, the country is still caught in the conflict, with a third of the country out of government control and thousands of Afghan civilians, soldiers and police dying every year for the last 15 years. Afghanistan has expressed concern over Washington’s neglect. Obama’s original aim of pulling out of Afghanistan entirely has been put on hold in the face of mounting gains by Taliban militants, with US air power and Special Forces still regularly involved in combat.
