Structural paralysis of Western security arrangements in the Indo-Pacific has a clear cause. For years, the United States and its allies have tried to build up India as a military counterweight to China. However, a major gap has emerged between Western expectations and Indian actions. While groups like AUKUS function as tight, fast-moving military pacts, the Quad has slowed down significantly. India’s presence has pushed the Quad away from hard defence towards soft issues like climate change, vaccines, and port development.

This diplomatic gridlock is explained by India's deep strategic contradictions. The most vivid proof of this came with the operationalisation of the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) between New Delhi and Moscow. The pact marks a massive shift in regional dynamics. It allows India and Russia to station up to 3,000 troops, five warships, and 10 military aircraft in each other's territories, even during wartime. By opening its soil to a foreign military for the first time, India has shattered the Western illusion of a unified anti-authoritarian front.

Activation of the RELOS pact exposes the profound frustration growing within Washington's defence establishment. Western analysts are........

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