Nidhi Razdan: India-US ties soar amidst global realignment

Gulf News

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00:00Prime Minister Modi's state visit to the US this week is significant for many reasons.

00:09At one level, it represents a certain continuity in the momentum in India-US ties that began

00:14under Mr. Vajpayee, was strengthened under Dr. Manmohan Singh, and has been solidified

00:18under Prime Minister Modi.

00:20It comes at a time when India is very clearly pursuing an independent foreign policy.

00:25It's not going to be dragged into any one grouping or any alliance.

00:29So it may be a part of the Quad on one hand, which has the US and Australia and Japan in

00:35it.

00:36But it will also be a part of BRICS with Russia and China as key members over there.

00:40Now, obviously, the China factor is really a big factor when it comes to why the Americans

00:46are going out of their way to lay the red carpet for Mr. Modi.

00:50So is the fact that the Indian market is doing much better compared to other world

00:54economies.

00:55But there also seems to be a certain pragmatism and realism that has crept into the India-US

01:00relationship.

01:01Both countries will do what is in their self-interest.

01:05And even though the Biden administration keeps talking about values and democracy, it's clear

01:09that in practice, as in the past, that really is not high priority for the Americans.

01:15While for India, its own self-interest and whatever it can achieve in terms of deliverables

01:21with the US, that is what is important, which is why the defense and emerging technologies

01:26cooperation that we've seen on this visit are significant because in terms of deliverables,

01:32this is something that could actually see ties being taken to the next level.

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