{"id":354307,"date":"2026-01-18T10:53:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?page_id=354307"},"modified":"2026-01-18T10:53:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:23:47","slug":"answered-analyze-the-claim-that-the-upward-trajectory-of-india-us-relations-has-stalled-due-to-shifting-geopolitical-priorities-evaluate-whether-india-needs-a-new-foreign-policy-paradigm-to-navigat","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answered-analyze-the-claim-that-the-upward-trajectory-of-india-us-relations-has-stalled-due-to-shifting-geopolitical-priorities-evaluate-whether-india-needs-a-new-foreign-policy-paradigm-to-navigat\/","title":{"rendered":"[Answered] Analyze the claim that the upward trajectory of India-US relations has stalled due to shifting geopolitical priorities. Evaluate whether India needs a new foreign policy paradigm to navigate a more transactional bilateral environment while maintaining its strategic autonomy."},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For nearly 25 years, India\u2013US relations followed a bipartisan upward arc; however, the resurgence of transactional geopolitics, as noted by Brookings and CFR analyses, signals a plateau demanding strategic reassessment by New Delhi.<\/p>\n

A Plateau in a Once-Ascending Partnership and From Strategic Convergence to Transactional Uncertainty<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Since the 2005 Civil Nuclear Agreement, India\u2013US ties were framed as a strategic exception\u2014anchored in shared democratic values<\/strong>, defence interoperability, and Indo-Pacific convergence.<\/li>\n
  2. Yet, by 2025\u201326, Washington\u2019s<\/strong> inward-looking posture and \u2018America First 2.0\u2019<\/strong> have diluted this exceptionalism.<\/li>\n
  3. Foreign policy is increasingly filtered through domestic political calculus,<\/strong> trade balances, and sanctions logic, rather than long-term strategic convergence.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Evidence of the Stalled Trajectory<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Economic and Trade Frictions: <\/strong>The imposition of steep tariffs on Indian exports and threats of secondary sanctions over Russian energy imports reflect a coercive trade diplomacy<\/strong>. Despite India being the US\u2019s 10th-largest trading partner (bilateral trade ~$190 billion in 2023),<\/strong> market access is now weaponised, undermining trust built through mechanisms like the Trade Policy Forum.<\/li>\n
    2. Strategic Dilution of the Indo-Pacific Vision: <\/strong>Ambiguity in US commitments to Taiwan and a visible deprioritisation of the Quad weaken<\/strong> the foundational assumption that India is central to America\u2019s Indo-Pacific strategy. This contradicts earlier doctrines such as the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, reducing predictability for Indian planners.<\/li>\n
    3. Rhetoric\u2013Reality Gap: <\/strong>While US diplomatic rhetoric continues to emphasise partnership, unilateral actions\u2014tightened H1-B norms,<\/strong> selective climate disengagement, and diaspora-related anxieties\u2014signal a retreat from multilateral leadership, as highlighted in OECD and UN reports<\/strong> on global governance erosion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Structural Drivers Behind the Shift<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Relative Power Transition: <\/strong>The US faces a relative decline vis-\u00e0-vis China<\/strong>, leading to selective accommodation with Beijing, particularly over rare earths and supply chains. This creates a hierarchy of partners, where India\u2019s strategic leverage is conditional rather than intrinsic.<\/li>\n
      2. Personalised and Populist Diplomacy: <\/strong>Foreign policy under strong executive personalities becomes volatile. As realist scholars like Stephen Walt argue, such systems privilege deal-making over institutions,<\/strong> increasing uncertainty for middle powers like India.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Does India Need a New Foreign Policy Paradigm?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. From Strategic Partnership to Strategic Hedging: <\/strong>India must recalibrate from alignment optimism to strategic hedging<\/strong>, avoiding overdependence on any single power. This involves deepening ties with the EU (FTA negotiations), ASEAN, Africa, and West Asia<\/strong>, consistent with multi-alignment doctrine.<\/li>\n
        2. Transactional Reciprocity: <\/strong>In a quid-pro-quo environment, India should explicitly link cooperation in defence, critical minerals, and technology to outcomes in trade access and mobility. This reflects a shift from normative to interest-based diplomacy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        3. Strengthening Regional Multilateralism: <\/strong>With uncertain US commitment, India must assume greater responsibility in BIMSTEC, IORA<\/strong>, and the Indian Ocean Region,<\/strong> aligning with Mahanian sea-power logic and SAGAR doctrine.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Why the Partnership Still Has a \u2018Geopolitical Floor\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. The China Constraint: <\/strong>Despite frictions, China\u2019s rise ensures a minimum level of India\u2013US cooperation in defence, intelligence sharing, and maritime security\u2014preventing a complete rupture.<\/li>\n
          2. Technology and Diaspora Linkages: <\/strong>Initiatives like iCET, semiconductor collaboration, and a 4.5-million-strong Indian diaspora act as institutional shock absorbers<\/strong>, sustaining long-term engagement beyond executive volatility.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Reimagining Strategic Autonomy and Autonomy Through Capability, Not Distance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
              \n
            1. India\u2019s response must centre on accelerating growth, technological self-reliance, and defence indigenisation (Atmanirbhar Bharat).<\/strong><\/li>\n
            2. As Kautilya\u2019s Arthashastra <\/strong>suggests, power determines choice, not vice versa.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

              Echoing Justice Radhabinod Pal\u2019s<\/strong> realist internationalism and President Murmu\u2019s call for confident engagement, India must practise strategic autonomy by managing differences pragmatically, not by retreat, in a transactional world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Introduction For nearly 25 years, India\u2013US relations followed a bipartisan upward arc; however, the resurgence of transactional geopolitics, as noted by Brookings and CFR analyses, signals a plateau demanding strategic reassessment by New Delhi. A Plateau in a Once-Ascending Partnership and From Strategic Convergence to Transactional Uncertainty Since the 2005 Civil Nuclear Agreement, India\u2013US ties… Continue reading [Answered] Analyze the claim that the upward trajectory of India-US relations has stalled due to shifting geopolitical priorities. Evaluate whether India needs a new foreign policy paradigm to navigate a more transactional bilateral environment while maintaining its strategic autonomy.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-354307","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/354307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/354307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}