A Poll-Proof Relationship

Context:  The 2+2 dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the United States in Delhi this week marks an important moment in bilateral relations.

An Acceleration of the engagement between India and the US

• The Civil Nuclear Deal (2005): was aimed at ending India’s prolonged atomic isolation in the world and a broader framework for security cooperation. 

• The Quadrilateral Security Framework: foreign minister of the member nations met in Tokyo recently.

• India’s participation in the exclusive meeting of the Five Eyes grouping (US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand): to address the tension between the imperatives of law enforcement and the encryption policies of technology companies like Apple and Facebook.

• Expansion of Malabar exercise:  with the US and Japan to include Australia recently.
• Presence of Bipartisan Support in India: the US has always garnered bipartisan support from India, be it ruled by Democratic Party or the Republicans.

• For, E.g. Senator Barack Obama was among the critics of the India-US nuclear deal but had no hesitation advancing its implementation when he became the president in 2009.

Challenges faced by India-US relations in the past: 

• Keeping distance from the US: due to non-alignment, strategic autonomy, and the quest for a multipolar world. 

• Political Timidity: due to the presence of coalition government in the domestic arena – (2005)

Need for better ties with the US at present

• The China Factor:

• Current military crisis on the northern borders with China.

• Coronavirus has sharpened the US debate on the dangers of excessive economic interdependence on China.

• For technological advancements: Critical technologies like artificial intelligence that promise to transform most aspects of modern life including security, political economy and social order.

Conclusion:  There is a need for sustained and advanced India-US partnership as the regional and global order faces multiple transitions.