India-U.S. Relations

Resetting the India-U.S. partnership in uncertain times

Context: Just months ago, India and the United States appeared poised to elevate what has often been called the “defining partnership of the 21st century.” 

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• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump early in his second term, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s presence at the U.S. inauguration, and bipartisan goodwill in Washington all pointed toward a deepening strategic bond. 
• Built on shared democratic values, geopolitical alignment, and a joint ambition to shape the emerging global order, the partnership seemed more than transactional—it was transformational.

A Strategic Drift, Not a Break

• New Delhi is increasingly uneasy about signs of volatility, policy inconsistency, and a regression to Cold War-era thinking in Washington. 
  • A notable example is President Trump’s decision to host Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at a high-profile lunch on June 18. 
  • For India, this move sends mixed signals, especially as Munir represents a political-military establishment historically associated with sectarian rhetoric and cross-border terrorism.
• This drift does not indicate rupture—and it is reversible. The structural underpinnings of the partnership remain strong.
  • What is needed is not a reset of fundamentals, but a renewed emphasis on clarity, tone, and strategic intent.

Outdated Hyphenation and Economic Mixed Signals

• One of the most concerning trends for India is the resurgence of “India-Pakistan hyphenation” in U.S. diplomatic language. 
• In the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor, President Trump spoke of India and Pakistan in the same breath, offered to mediate the Kashmir issue, and warned of nuclear risks. 
• For Indian policymakers, who have long sought to decouple their global ascent from the India-Pakistan binary, this rhetoric is not only outdated—it is diplomatically regressive.
• Equally troubling are mixed signals on the economic front. While President Trump declared a successful U.S.-China deal, he reportedly discouraged Apple’s CEO from expanding manufacturing in India. 
  • For Indian officials promoting a “China-plus-one” strategy and projecting India as a global manufacturing hub, this approach undercuts confidence.

Immigration Policy and the H-1B Disconnect

• Another growing fault line is immigration. The H-1B visa program, a linchpin of India-U.S. technological collaboration, is increasingly vulnerable to protectionist rhetoric. 
• Politicising skilled migration risks damaging the innovation ecosystem that binds Silicon Valley to India’s thriving tech and startup sectors.

Pakistan’s Elevated Profile in U.S. Policy

• Perhaps the most disconcerting development is the perceived warming of U.S. ties with Pakistan. 
• U.S. CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla recently called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in counterterrorism. 
• This characterisation disregards Pakistan’s long-standing complicity in terrorism, unsettling Indian confidence in the credibility of U.S. counterterrorism commitments.

Root Causes of the Strategic Drift

• • Transactional U.S. Foreign Policy: The Trump administration’s focus on short-term deals clashes with India’s civilisational, long-term strategic outlook. 
    • India’s preference for stable, layered partnerships doesn’t always align with Washington’s impulse for monetised diplomacy.
  • Institutional Nostalgia for Pakistan: A segment of the U.S. security establishment continues to overestimate Pakistan’s strategic value, viewing it as a familiar actor in counterterrorism—even when evidence suggests otherwise.
  • Underrepresentation in the U.S. Strategic Circles: Despite India’s rise, its institutional footprint in Washington—across think tanks, media, and policymaking—lags behind. 

• • • Misinterpretations of India’s strategic autonomy as fence-sitting are a symptom of this gap.

Misreading India’s Intentions

• Critics like Ashley Tellis have argued that India suffers from “great-power delusions.” 
• In truth, India is not delusional—it is deliberate. Its strategic autonomy is not confusion but clarity born of history, sovereignty, and geopolitical realism. 
• The real issue is Washington’s impatience with partners who don’t mimic its methods or follow its priorities blindly.

What Needs to Be Done: A Call to Strategic Recalibration

• India must lead with composure and foresight. Overreaction will deepen misunderstandings. 
  • Instead, New Delhi should rely on quiet, persistent diplomacy and broaden its engagement with the U.S. through Congress, think tanks, business chambers, and the Indian-American community.
• On the domestic front, India must accelerate economic reforms—not to appease the U.S., but to solidify its own growth story. 
  • Regulatory clarity, infrastructure modernisation, and streamlined policies will reinforce India’s appeal as a manufacturing and investment destination.
• Immigration should be reframed as a shared innovation opportunity. 
  • The H-1B program benefits both nations by enabling collaboration on AI, cybersecurity, biotech, and other frontier technologies.

The U.S. Must Also Reassess

• The U.S., too, must abandon outdated Cold War framings. 
  • Viewing Indian manufacturing and talent mobility as threats is counterproductive. 
  • A strong Indo-Pacific strategy demands deeper U.S. investments in India’s regional capacity-building and a shift in tone from suspicion to strategic trust.
• Most importantly, both nations must rediscover the moral purpose of their partnership. 
  • Beyond balancing China or expanding markets, this relationship is about shaping a pluralistic, democratic, and rules-based global order.

From Civil Nuclear Trust to a Democratic Concert

• In 1998, after the Pokhran nuclear tests, few imagined the historic India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement of 2005. 
  • That act of strategic trust transformed global diplomacy and proved what is possible when mutual respect meets political courage.
• As a former U.S. President George W. Bush rightly said, “The world will see what two great democracies can do when they trust each other.” 
  • That spirit must be revived. The challenge today is not whether Trump will “lose” India—but whether both countries will squander a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a democratic concert in Asia.

This moment of turbulence should not be the end of the India-U.S. story—it should be the start of a strategic renewal. With clarity, candour, and commitment, the two largest democracies can restore trust, deepen cooperation, and redefine global leadership for a fractured world.