U.S.-India: A Defining Partnership

President Biden has called the U.S.-India relationship “the defining partnership of the 21st century.”  Prime Minister Modi has said our countries’ ties are “shaping lives, dreams, and destinies.” 

There’s no question that the relationship has not moved in a straight line over its 77 years.  It is built on an exceptionally solid foundation – one that’s only getting stronger.  This is where the long view is important.  So, let me take you back in time.

One of America’s first consulates was in Kolkata.  Some of the great American and Indian philosophers, writers, and social justice advocates of the 19th and 20th centuries were connected and mutually inspired by one another.  From Dewey to Ambedkar.  From Emerson and Thoreau to Tagore and Gandhi.  The mutual inspiration and learning runs deep. 

Mahatma Gandhi would write to President Roosevelt in 1942 and remark that “you’ve given me a gift in the writings of Thoreau.”  Decades later, Dr. Martin Luther King would find similar inspiration in the writings of Gandhi.  

Following India’s independence, our political leaders were wise to understand India’s critical importance and they set out to build a true partnership.  Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy were all committed to seeing a strong U.S.-India relationship. 

“This is the kind of future that I see together: two great countries, with their people united in common cause to make the world a better place.”

RICHARD R. VERMA DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE FOR MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCES

Then, somewhat rapidly, India and the United States went their separate ways.  For nearly 25 years, the two countries grew distant, some would say “estranged,” removed from our shared values, all the while remaining somewhat cordial.  We lost a generation of cooperation.

Then, it was in the year 2000, with President Clinton’s visit, that we began to see the thaw in ties and the launch of a full-scale partnership. 

For the next 24 years, we grew dramatically in every facet of our cooperation. 

We went from 0 dollars in defense sales to now being major defense partners, co-production partners, and conducting the most complex of exercises in every facet. 

Our bilateral trade went from $20 billion in 2000 to over $200 billion today.

We’ve partnered to address the climate crisis and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement by launching the U.S.-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership.  More recently, at COP28 in November, Indian and U.S. officials discussed our new partnership to help India electrify 50,000 buses and expand access to low carbon public transport.

In people-to-people ties, America boasts well over four million Americans of Indian descent.  Last year, the U.S. Embassy issued over one million visas; and there are now nearly 270,000 Indian students in the United States.

• Our security cooperation will become even more important in the years ahead.  The threats we face are real, but building our collective capabilities, increasing our sharing of information, and improving maritime domain awareness and interoperability will ensure India continues to be a provider of net security across the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. 
• Our work on protecting, preserving, and strengthening democracy will continue to be even more important, with the rise of autocratic and authoritarian leaders and movements.  This includes continuing to strengthen a global rules-based order architecture, ensuring we bridge the divide on income inequality, and battling mis and disinformation.  Democracy must continue to deliver for our peoples.
• Our work on new and emerging technologies will take on even more promise.  New and emerging technologies offer tremendous opportunities for economic growth and development.  At the same time, recent disruptive cyber attacks, carried out by criminals and nation states, demonstrate the risk that cyber vulnerabilities can pose to global peace and security.  We must work together to tackle data privacy issues, such as identity theft, by exchanging knowledge on data protection issues.  Through the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership, the United States is working closely with India to build and maintain internet infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity protections.  From semiconductors to critical minerals to space exploration and innovation in clean energy to battling climate change, and so much more, this is about economic and physical security. 

Pleased to once again meet with External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar. Had a productive discussion on a variety of topics within the #USIndia relationship and ways in which we can continue to move our critical partnership forward. pic.twitter.com/5sNhZOmMd8

— Richard R. Verma (@DepSecStateMR) February 20, 2024

As both President Biden and Prime Minister Modi have said, our impact with each other is important, but what we can do for the world is even more important.  Whether it’s addressing food insecurity or battling the next pandemic or connecting millions to the digital economy, there is so much we can do together.

About the Author:  Richard R. Verma serves as the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.  In this role, he acts as the Chief Operating Officer of the Department, and leads the Department’s efforts on modernization, foreign assistance, and a wide range of workforce and strategic issues.  Deputy Secretary Verma previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to India, where he led one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions and championed historic progress in bilateral ties.