Indispensable partnership
Strategic concerns and shared values bind India and the US
The ultimate proof that the United States (US) remains the indispensable nation in India’s foreign policy is that relations have flourished even under the quirkiest of presidents. President Donald Trump combines an 18th century mercantilist understanding of the world and a tendency to like or dislike world leaders, irrespective of
US national interests. Even a few decades ago, this would have posed insurmountable barriers to an Indian leader. Today, the underlying strategic bonding between the two countries means large swathes of each other’s economies, governments and civil societies are now invested in each other. Relations have continued to deepen and expand, almost irrespective of who has resided in the White House or in Lok Kalyan Marg. And this has happened, despite new disagreements.
President Trump has come to office arguing that the international order, in its present form, bleeds the US of jobs and wealth, and is filled with countries that free ride off the Pentagon’s budget and, therefore, needs to be reworked from top to bottom. India has its own problems with global equity, but sees quiet reform rather than an insurgent approach as the solution. India has been more concerned at China’s more insidious attempts to subvert and dominate the global system, starting with Asia. Even while it is taking swings at the international system, the Trump administration has also recognised that Beijing’s goals are not about redistributing power as much as they are about monopolising it. Mr Trump’s willingness to break furniture in responding to the China challenge is one of the reasons New Delhi sees him in a more positive light than many other capitals. The spillover, however, is increased friction between India and the US on trade and technology issues. The Modi government’s attempts to revive manufacturing behind higher tariffs and desire to create national champions in the digital sphere will not receive a free pass from Mr Trump. There is no clear solution to these differences, and thus managing them is important, which is where summit meetings and packed stadiums come into the picture.
The bedrock of the relationship is simple enough: India and the US share a remarkably similar vision of how they would like the world to evolve in the coming decades. There are many western countries who would hew closer to the US’ view of things. There are a few developing countries who would be closer to elements of the Indian view. But among the larger democracies there are no two which, despite a brief shared history and no formal alliance, have as much in common.