India-US relationship ‘flourished’ during the Trump Administration: Report

In a podcast named “Transforming India” conducted by Deepak and Neera Raj Center on Indian Economic Policies at Columbia University and the Times of India, Dr. Tanvi Madan a Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and Director of the India Project at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC opined that during the era of Trump administration there has been more continuity in the US-India relations.

There has been progress in the defense,security and diplomatic side, she said.

Some crucial agreements that the two countries had been working on for years, were signed during this period including the 2016 agreement and the recent Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) which will help Indian military access to data that are considered vital for the firing of missiles, armed drones and other targets with precision.

“There’s been increased activity in terms of intelligence sharing. The US has delivered more military equipment to India. The quadrilateral dialogue that the US and India have with Australia and Japan has been revived and you’ve seen the US play a helpful role for India during a number of crises. Whether that has been the India-Pakistan crisis last year in February, or it was during the India-China boundary standoff whether that was in 2017 or the ongoing one going on right now in Ladakh. And the US has helped – whether it is at the UN Security Council or as it has been in the current crisis, through diplomatic support, rhetorical support as well things like information sharing. So, I’d put the defense and security side as kind of the assets box. And that cooperation, which has taken place in kind of a China shadow, you’ve seen that allow the two countries manage their differences on a number of fronts,”Dr. Tanvi Madan said.

Dr.Tanvi Madan also said that although there has been differences in the economic and immigration fronts and the trump administration has taken some measures that go against India’s interest, the next administration – whether that is a second Trump administration or a Biden administration – that could designate India as an important ally.Economically, depending on Indian economic policies, America may consider India either as an alternative or as part of their China plus one strategy.

However, causing a great concern for Delhi, there may be more accommodative US approach to China, Dr Tanvi said.