THE UNITED STATES AND INDIA: A NEW ERA OF STRATEGIC COOPERATION AND FRIENDSHIP

The United States and India are thriving and resilient democracies.

- NARAIN BATRA

Discords and divisions are inevitable; nonetheless, democratic governments do function well and problems get solved albeit slowly. Just consider: Covoid-19 originated in a most secretive, repressive and authoritarian country; but its remedies, the vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford AstraZeneca, the most trusted ones, were developed in democracies, United Kingdom, European Union, and the United States. It’s democratic India that holds the promise of producing the vaccines for most of the world, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured us. In crises, freedom matters and open societies do better.

With President Joe Biden a new era of strategic cooperation and friendship could begin for India and the United States. The bonds of freedom, nevertheless, need to be strengthened not only militarily; but also, more importantly, economically. India-US relations must extend beyond defense and security to include trade, technology transfer, and manufacturing.