India’s Role in Post-2011 Afghanistan -- Can Canada & India Collaborate?

Abstract

With Canada and India both gearing up for the withdrawal of Canadian and some US troops from Afghanistan in 2011, the authors explore the strategic dilemmas which face both countries. Ottawa and New Delhi each plan to maintain strong aid programs in Afghanistan post-2011, but are struggling to determine how to balance development aid with security. Despite these shared circumstances, history and geopolitics suggest that opportunities for Canada-India collaboration are few. (For a discussion of Canada’s relations with Pakistan in terms of its involvement in Afghanistan see Canada-Pakistan Relations: Where to Next?)