An Ideal Couple?

The US-India partnership is likely to endure as it is based on the national interests of both countries

- Aparna Pande

UNLIKE China, Iran, Russia or the Middle East, the world’s most populous country, India, has barely been mentioned in the US presidential election cycle. India is fortunate in that even in a deeply polarised American polity, close relations enjoy strong bipartisan support. The ideal for New Delhi would be that the next president’s administration takes the final steps towards converting the current comprehensive, global and strategic US-India partnership into ‘‘the defining partnership of the twenty-first century”. On the policy front, references to India during the campaign cycle have only been in passing. Both candidates support robust India-US relations and both parties have long-time experts in their ranks who are keen to deepen the partnership.

If Donald Trump returns, his presidency is likely to be characterised by strong personal relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These will be coupled with a transactional foreign policy where public differences over trade, market access and immigration will have to balance strategic imperatives. A President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, like President Joseph Biden, is more likely to focus on strategic convergences, in seeing India as the ideal counterweight to China, and not allowing differences to become divergences.

The bedrock of the US-India partnership has been shared values and mutual strategic interests. The multi-faceted US-India partnership is underpinned by strong commercial ties, close defense cooperation and shared strategic considerations.

India’s strategic location, economic potential and military capabilities make it an ideal partner for the United States in a key spot: continental Eurasia and the maritime Indo Pacific. India is also an important partner as the US seeks to pushback against the military and economic rise of China, both in the Indo Pacific and beyond. India’s own decades old rivalry with China further strengthen these shared interests.