Reviving the Momentum in US Engagement with India

Indo-US relations have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade, and the positive change is likely to be long-lasting. The Obama administration benefits from the strong underlying momentum behind recently improved bilateral relations. While important long-standing differences exist, such as Iran, Pakistan, and nuclear proliferation, these factors are unlikely to destabilize the relationship seriously, as there are important strategic interests that sustain it, as well as strong incentives on both sides to advance the well being of the global commons in space, the oceans, and technology. The Obama administration, however, has not yet been able to sustain the relationship with India at the level achieved under the previous Bush administration. So far, it has yet to come up with a positive emblematic centrepiece comparable to the civil nuclear deal pushed by the Bush administration. In large part, this is due to the greater focus now on terrorism rooted in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where India plays a relatively minor role whereas the Bush administration’s concentrated on India’s role as a balancing power in Asia. The challenge of the Obama and Manmohan Singh administrations is to come up with a big idea that prompts both sides to invest the political capital to reset the relationship.