The [first/next] off-case position is the india da: First, us-india relations are high and driven by mutual distrust towards China

Laundry List Impacts

Laundry List

US India relations key to econ, India-Sino relations, Indian defense

President Barack Obama’s recent trip to India was an unprecedented second visit by a serving U.S. president and an opportunity to further revive relations between the world's two largest democracies. We asked Assistant Professor Stephen Tankel, an expert on political and military affairs in South Asia, for some insights into the U.S.-India relationship:

Q: Why did President Obama visit India, and what was the significance of the visit?

A: President Obama attended India’s Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the first time India has invited an American president to be chief guest at its Republic Day. It is also the first time that an American president visited India twice while in office. Those facts alone speak to the importance both governments place on building the bilateral relationship. In the United States, there is bipartisan support for building the relationship with India, which is viewed as a possible net security provider in South Asia and the wider Indian Ocean Region, a potential balance against China, an attractive economic market, and a natural partner given that it is the world’s largest democracy.

Q: Why has Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made improved U.S.-Indian relations a priority since his landslide election victory last May?

A: Prime Minister Modi has stressed, since before he was elected, that he believes India and the United States have a fundamental stake in one another’s success. Strong bilateral relations are beneficial to India in various ways, and I’d note several of them here.

First, Modi has made revitalizing the Indian economy the centerpiece of his administration, and that requires boosting investment and manufacturing in India. The United States is an important partner in this regard.

Second, the conventional wisdom is that India does not view security through a realist lens, but that may be changing under Modi, who is more hawkish on China than his predecessor and appears to view strengthening U.S. relations as a critical component of his foreign policy.

Third, and related to the first observations, India views the defense relationship with the United States as a way to procure technology that India lacks. That’s necessary both from a defense perspective, and as a way to build the Indian economy, which helps explain why New Delhi is so insistent that the United States agrees to technology transfers as part of defense trade agreements.

US-Indo relations key to check laundry list of impacts—Warming, Cybersecurity, Prolif.

There’s a lot more to the joint statement that I haven’t highlighted here, including important advances on economic ties, energy cooperation, climate change, and even cybersecurity. (On economic ties, the White House has a helpful and detailed fact sheet on deliverables.) Overall, this latest summit emphasizes continued convergence between New Delhi and Washington. If I had to identify a theme, the finalization of LEMOA and the announcement of the first U.S. nuclear supplier project in India point to the realization of deliverables that have been percolating for a while in this bilateral. Seasoned observers of the U.S.-India relationship have learned to temper their expectations regarding sharp and swift inflection points; the big deliverables take a while. Despite the big announcements this time around, there remains a lot to look forward to in the U.S.-India relationship. When he addresses Congress on Wednesday, Modi is expected to offer an updated Indian vision for the future of this relationship. Modi’s proven himself to be an adept and enthusiastic emissary for India, the world’s largest democracy and, lately, the fastest growing emerging economy. He’d do well to highlight the remarkable convergence between the United States and India in the last two years while charting a realistic path forward.