India-US Relations Poised for Evolution as Trump Era Looms
India’s bilateral relations with the United States have been narrowed down at a crossroads over the emerging scenario of the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the presidency. Bilateral relations were very wholesome during the first trump presidency characterized by close friendship between PM Narendra Modi and President Trump; strategic cooperation included the revival of the quad and the change of name from US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command.
The basis of this partnership which former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee has defined as a ‘natural partnership’ has continued to strengthen across administration changes. President Obama described the counterterrorism cooperation as being ‘a defining partnership of the 21st century,’ as was echoed by President Biden, transforming it into an even more crucial one. There is a strong trade relationship now, America is India’s biggest trading partner and they worked out seven WTO issues last year. The economic relations between the two countries are seen by the investment of 51.6 bln USD to the FDI of the USA that invests in India (2022).
Other new frontiers in clean energy technology such as solar, wind and cyber security, telecommunications among others and the fact that India was promoted to STA tier one in 2018 are enough testaments to the diversifying fields of cooperation. However, strategic agility will be vital for India in case of an upset in Trump’s presidency second term assuming office, where at one end the country’s self-interests will be stake and at other end, interest of the member countries of the alliance.
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