India – US relationship

Brief on India-US Relations:-

Context- The 2+2 dialogue between India-US comes in the backdrop of a structural shift and turbulence in the global economic order.

What is 2+2 Dialogue?

It is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country. 2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries.

• Main focus– Countering China’s aggression on LAC front, improving bilateral relations and Shift in great power politics as well as turbulence in the international economic order intensified by the coronavirus pandemic.
• First US-India 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018.

India’s recent global meetings

1. QUAD grouping –The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has its roots in the Core Group of four senior diplomats representing the USA, Japan and Australia with a shared objective to ensure and support a free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
2. Five eye grouping– India’s first-ever participation, in a meeting of the exclusive Five Eyes grouping that facilitates intelligence-sharing among the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
3. Malabar exercise– It is an annual trilateral naval exercise between the navies of India, Japan, and the US which is held alternately in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

• Australia inclusion– The move will bolster the ability of India, Australia, Japan and the United States to work together to uphold peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.

What are the differences with current India-US relation than that during UPA years?

1. India-china relations– Huge military crisis on the northern borders with China. During initial years of India-US relations, Delhi avoided closer security ties with the US in deference to Beijing’s sensitivities.
2. COVID-19 Pandemic– The coronavirus has sharpened the US debate on the dangers of excessive economic interdependence on China.

• India has begun to reduce its commercial ties to Beijing in response to the PLA’s Ladakh aggression.
• This has created a new conversation between India and the US on rearranging global supply chains away from China.

3. Sharing technology– The focus on critical technologies like artificial intelligence that promise to transform most aspects of modern life including security, political economy and social order.

• Two decades ago, both India and US focused on resolving the legacy issues surrounding the technologies relating to nuclear weapons and missiles.

What is the significance of 2+2 dialogue?

1. Trade issues– Delhi and Washington continue to have many differences over bilateral trade. U.S. should be pushed on resolving trade issues with India and perhaps commit to restoring India’s Generalized System of Preferences status for exporters.
2. Indo-Pacific– On the maritime sphere, discussions will include strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region and also include discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart the threats posed by the People’s Liberation Army.

Way forward-

The overarching framework that has emerged across different US administrations in the last two decades helps India to manage potential difficulties and take advantage of new opportunities.

As the regional and global order faces multiple transitions, the incentives for Delhi and Washington to sustain and advance India-US partnership are stronger than ever before and will continue into the next administration.