India-US relation under Joe Biden administration

Synopsis: Biden’s administration is focussed on ensuring economic security of the middle class by reducing the expansive globalist ambitions. What does it mean for India?

Background

• Biden’s emphasis on the middle class is not very different from Trump’s emphasis on “America First”. But it will not be called the same due to negatives associated with it.

Understanding this continuity of “America First” policy under Joe Biden will help India to engage productively with the new American administration.

What are the possible elements of Biden’s foreign policy?

The report titled “Making US Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class”, co-authored by Sullivan (designated National security advisor under Biden administration) offers insight into the future of American foreign policy. It has pointed the following observations,

• Economic anxiety and discontent in the American heartland are deepening.
• Similar to Trump’s view on Free trade, the report highlights that trade liberalisation has not benefitted everyone in the US
  • The report recommends addressing the deepening income inequality at home and domestic investment and industrial strategy that will allow America to become more competitive in the world.
• It recognizes that the expansive globalist ambitions of the American foreign policy have lost much domestic political support. For example,
  • Escalating a new Cold War with China.
  • Or waging struggle between the world’s democracies and authoritarian governments.
• Pointing to the overreach of American foreign policy in recent decades the report proposes for a “less ambitious” foreign policy in the future.

The report signifies under Biden’s administration, the US will adopt a less interventionist approach in geopolitical issues, reduced international military interventions, absence of trade wars as against Trump years.

What does it mean to India?

• First, in trump years India-US relation saw both developments and confrontations going together. For example, sharpening tensions on trade was going parallel with deepening defence and security cooperation
  • Under Biden administration, India finds an opportunity to overcome the bilateral differences on trade and elevate defence cooperation to a higher level.
• Second, India’s pragmatic international orientation to the Atmanirbhar strategy could open some space for working with Biden on reforming the global trading system and make it more politically sustainable.
• Finally, America that plans for a less ambitious” foreign policy will need strong partners like India who can contribute more.

A political understanding of strategic burden-sharing would help India-US to develop deeper military cooperation and more intensive diplomatic coordination in the Indo-Pacific.