India-US Relations

India-US Relations

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently stated that the relationship between India and the United States has an impact on the rest of the world because many countries look to the association individually and bilaterally.

India-US relations:

• Comprehensive global strategic partnership: India and the United States have a comprehensive global strategic partnership that spans almost all areas of human endeavour and is fueled by shared democratic values, convergence of interests on a variety of issues, and vibrant people-to-people contacts.
• Bilateral Dialogue Mechanisms: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, India-US cooperation has seen intense engagement in a variety of areas, including defence, security, health, trade, economic, science and technology, energy, and people-to-people ties.
• The India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, led by the heads of India's and the United States' Foreign and Defence Ministries, examines bilateral ties in defence, strategic, and security domains, as well as important regional and global issues.
• Quad: In 2004, the four Quad partners (India, Japan, the United States, and Australia) formed a "Core Group" to quickly mobilise aid during the joint response to the 2004 Tsunami. Quad engagements have increased and intensified since 2017.
• Counter-Terrorism Cooperation: Significant progress has been made in terms of information exchange, operational cooperation, and the sharing of counter-terrorism technology and equipment.
• Cooperation on Cyber Security: The India-US Cyber Framework, signed in September 2016, calls for increased cooperation in the cyber domain.
• Defence: The defence relationship was designated as a Major Defence Partnership in 2016. (MDP).
• Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are critical components of expanding military-to-military cooperation.
• Yudh Abhyas (Army); Vajra Prahar (Special Forces); RIMPAC; and Red Flag along with other exercises US-India-Japan MALABAR Naval Exercise in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in November 2020.
• Several defence treaties have been signed. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Association is one of them (August 2016)
• Science and technology – Both the coutries are cooperating in NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, a cooperative microwave remote sensing satellite for Earth observation, is being developed by ISRO and NASA (NISAR).
• Two decades of evolution The George W. Bush administration's nuclear agreement with India put bilateral ties on a higher strategic trajectory.
• Through organisations like QUAD, the G20, and global institutions at the UN, India and the United States have significantly advanced their collaboration.

Divergences

• Current geopolitical context: India has consistently taken a neutral stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has enraged several nations, including the United States.
• India has been purchasing more oil from Russia than it did in the past, which has angered the US. India contends that it is necessary to shield its populace from the war's inflationary effects.
• Any nation, including India, that transacts in local currency through Russia's central bank or creates a payment system that evades or avoids American sanctions against Russia would face repercussions, the U.S. said.
• India is concerned about a U.S. move to give Pakistan's F-16 fighter aircraft a support package.

Other problems:

• The trade gap between the USA and India is a cause of concern.
• Several disputes/cases at the WTO: A point of concern was the domestic component clause for India.
• Similar disagreement exists about the IPR framework and the evergreening of patents.
• Under the "Buy American and Hire American" presidential order, the US has increased the number of H-1B visa denials.
• Protecting its own dairy and agriculture interests was a key factor in India's decision to withdraw from the RCEP pact.
• Pakistan-U.S. Equation: Due to the dynamic relationships in Afghanistan, the US has frequently demonstrated a soft spot for Pakistan.

Future Possibilities

• One of the most important partnerships in the world is that between India and the US. It is necessary to have good communication so that people may resolve their disagreements and collaborate together.
• The 2+2 meeting gives the two nations a chance to further discuss their disagreements over Russia and expound on their bilateral agenda in terms of the advancement of new initiatives.