Indo-U.S. ties

Whyin news?

Recently the visit of external affairs minister to U.S. is expected to deepen the strategic partnership and synergy between the nations.

What is the history of ties between the nations?

During the Cold War, India and U.S. was ideologically divided which limited the possibilities for their international cooperation.
After the Cold War, India rallied behind China and Russia on multilateral issues.
The idea that multilateralism is a natural domain for India-China cooperation took a back seat when china blocked India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent seat in the UNSC.
It was the U.S. which ended India’s nuclear isolation and India’s default position of opposing the West on multilateral issues reduced.

In the last couple of years, India has actively backed the European Alliance for Multilateralism and is open to positive engagement with U.S. on global issues.

What will the talks about?

One, is climate change which was the agenda when U.S. special envoy visited India last month.
This will pave a way for the U.S. to support India’s transition to green growth.
Two, there exist serious differences on trade-related issues between the nations and there cannot be an unexpected convergence.
But both the nations are convinced that overexposure to China has reduced their domestic manufacturing.

Hence they will explore the possibilities for a new bilateral trade compact and potential cooperation to reform the global trading order.

What will be the other highlights of the talks?

The conversation will go beyond the bilateral issues and will have regional and global dimensions.
In the past, regional issues, including those in the subcontinent and broader Asia, were a major source of friction between the countries.
The mechanism of the Quadrilateral Security Framework, which arose out of the India-US bilateral defence cooperation is emerging as instrument to shape the regional architecture in the east.
U.S. has now embraced and reinforced the idea of an Indo-Pacific regional space which provides regional cooperation.

India’s principal national challenge today- combatting the virus through vaccination-is expected to be an important part of the talks.

How can both the nations engage in combatting the pandemic?

U.S. has facilitated the release of essential items for vaccine production and delivering significant relief supplies.
Even before the virus began to surge in April, U.S. saw the partnership with India as a critical element in the regional effort.
This was to expand the production of vaccines and deliver them across the Indo-Pacific.
As the second wave begins to recede and India’s vaccine production revives, Indian and U.S. interlocutors must now plan to reboot the strategy to vaccinate the Indo-Pacific.
Both the nations can pool their resources and strategies in boosting the global resilience against the pandemic and frame new international norms to combat it.
India has welcomed U.S. move to reverse the earlier decision to move out of the World Health Organisation.
This, in turn, brings us to the emerging possibilities for expansive India-US cooperation in the multilateral domain.

Source: The Indian Express