India’s Acquisition of the S-400 Air Defense System: Implications and Options for Pakistan

India’s Acquisition of the S-400 Air Defense System: Implications and Options for Pakistan

India’s Acquisition of the S-400 Air Defense System: Implications and Options for Pakistan, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Air University Press (Aug. 2021)

Shaza Arif

Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) obliges the US president to impose sanctions on any state making a significant arms deal with Russia. However, considering India’s strategic partnership with the United States, New Delhi is confident that it can circumvent CAATSA sanctions and secure a waiver. India’s acquisition of this state-of-the-art technology will have a negative impact on the strategic stability of the region, providing a robust false sense of security to the Indian policy makers to execute lethal adventures in the region, with the assurance that India is invulnerable from any retaliatory attack. India’s acquisition of the S-400 will alter the strategic stability momentarily; however, Pakistan has the capability to counter this perceived advantage and rebalance the shift in strategic stability.

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