India-US ties must be self-sustaining
Hindustan TimesRecently, President Trump again publicly derided India for “high tariffs”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House, June 2017 However, after India’s anti-satellite missile test on March 27, the United States spoke of its strong strategic partnership with India, and asserted that it “will continue to pursue shared interests in space and scientific and technical cooperation”. Following the Indian action on February 26, striking targets in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beyond not just the Line of Control but also the international boundary, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, like India, described it as a “counter- terrorism” action. It also articulated a willingness to enhance counterterrorism cooperation with both countries, which would seem in India to be out of place when there was an attack in India In this background, as India heads into general elections starting April 11, and as manoeuvring for 2020 US Presidential elections picks up, it is worthwhile to assess how the India-US relationship has evolved over the past five years, and the portends for the future. Reports indicate that text of an Industrial Security Agreement has also been worked out, which would enable greater Indian private sector participation in India-US defence projects, and in the global US defence value chain.