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Donald Trump’s Regime and India-US Relations
Trump’s 2.0 to Boost Indo-US Ties
By Noureen Sultana
In September 2019, Donald Trump hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event in Texas, which drew an estimated 50,000 attendees and was regarded as one of the largest receptions ever held for a foreign leader in the United States. The following year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned the gesture by hosting Donald Trump in his home state of Gujarat, where an audience of more than 120,000 people attended the event.
India-US relations saw substantial growth during Donald Trump’s first term as president from 2017 to 2021, marked by a strong focus on strategic alliances and common geopolitical objectives amid China’s expanding influence in South Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in 2019, followed by Donald Trump’s state visit to India in 2020, underscored the strengthening ties between the two nations. The partnership in defense advanced through agreements such as the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018, reflecting a shared commitment to counter-terrorism efforts. The reactivation of the Quad alliance—comprising the US, India, Japan, and Australia—emerged as a key regional security measure aimed at counterbalancing China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
India and the United States experienced a strained relationship for much of India’s post-independence history. An essential early principle of India’s foreign policy was nonalignment, a stance developed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Through the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), India chose not to align with either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War, aiming to preserve its sovereignty and pursue an independent course in international politics. However, following its defeat in the 1962 war with China, India turned to the United States for military assistance, marking a shift from its strictly nonaligned stance. This period of warming relations was brief, as the geopolitical landscape shifted in the 1970s. The United States moved closer to China in a diplomatic rapprochement, while India, in the context of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union, further complicating US-India relations. This alignment of India with the Soviet Union solidified a period of estrangement between the United States and India.
The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s forced India to reevaluate its foreign policy, particularly its nonalignment principle and its relationship with the United States. Facing a crisis in its economic model that was primarily state-oriented, India began to reconsider its international posture and adopt a more pragmatic approach to foreign relations. This period marked a transformative shift, leading India to open up its economy and seek a broader range of global partnerships, including with the United States. This shift also set the stage for new dialogue and cooperation. Following India’s nuclear tests in 1998, the United States engaged with India to address concerns about nuclear non-proliferation, which ultimately opened up opportunities for closer bilateral relations and a new beginning in US-India ties.
Today, India and the United States have developed converging strategic interests across various domains. Shared priorities include counterterrorism efforts, managing China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, maintaining a rules-based international order, and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, including navigational freedom in the South China Sea. During the Trump administration, US-India relations intensified, continuing a bipartisan trend in Washington that had gained momentum during the later years of the Clinton administration. Successive Indian governments, led by prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BJP), Manmohan Singh (Congress), and Narendra Modi (BJP), consistently pursued closer ties with the United States, irrespective of party affiliation. This consistency highlights a broad consensus within both countries about the need for stronger strategic relations, as both sides recognized the mutual benefits of closer cooperation.
Washington’s vision for the US-India relationship has leaned toward a more formalized alliance, particularly as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. The US approach seeks to institutionalize defense cooperation with India and foster a close military partnership. During the Trump administration, these goals were emphasized, with increased focus on India’s strategic role in the region. In 2017, the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy (NSS) underscored India’s significance in the Indo-Pacific for the first time, identifying China and Russia as nations that challenge US influence and security. The NSS emphasized a commitment to strengthen alliances and expand partnerships with countries like India, which share values such as respect for sovereignty, fair trade, and the rule of law.
Under the Obama administration, the United States had already started to shift its focus toward Asia in what was termed a “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific, part of a broader strategy to rebalance in response to China’s rise. This strategy continued under Trump, with the administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy in 2017 placing significant importance on India’s role in ensuring regional peace and prosperity. The strategy was declassified in January 2021, revealing the United States’ intent to support India’s rise as a regional security provider. The plan aimed to build a foundation for enhanced defense cooperation, including increased interoperability, defense trade, and technology transfers. The strategy also promised US diplomatic, military, and intelligence support to India for addressing continental security issues like the border tensions with China. A primary goal of this Indo-Pacific strategy was to prevent China from creating spheres of influence in the region and to ensure the United States retained strategic dominance.
The 2017 US strategy document explicitly framed India as a counterbalance to China, reflecting a realist approach that aimed to balance power in the Indo-Pacific. However, India was cautious about fully aligning with the United States in a direct stance against China, as it could compromise India’s goal of maintaining strategic autonomy. India seeks to preserve flexibility in its foreign policy, preferring a hedging strategy that allows it to engage with China while protecting its own interests. In this context, joint military exercises and arms purchases can align with either a balancing or hedging approach, as their intent may vary based on how adversaries, such as China, perceive India’s resolve and alliances.
India’s aspirations extend to a higher status on the world stage, which includes securing a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and gaining entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). During the Trump administration, the United States formally supported these goals, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing India’s global standing. However, China’s resistance to India’s UNSC and NSG membership complicates these ambitions, making it unlikely that India will secure these positions in the near future despite American backing.
US-India relations during the Trump era were also marked by a close personal relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The influence of the Indian American community, which has become increasingly politically active and economically successful in the US, played a role in strengthening ties between the two nations. Both Trump and Modi engaged with the Indian American community through events like the “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston, which emphasized the leaders’ bond and also served to bolster their domestic political standing.
Now with the victory in the 2024 presidential elections, Donald Trump is expected to strengthen US-India ties during his regime.
The Indo-U.S. relationship has a chance to grow stronger. The pragmatic leaders in his team, the focus can shift toward cooperation on key issues like countering terrorism, respecting India’s sovereignty, and building a balanced approach in the region. If the influence of liberal-globalist groups within the U.S. government is limited, leaders like Kashyap Patel could help bring in a new era of partnership and mutual respect between the two countries.
(Author is an Artist in the United States of America.
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Artist Noureen SultanaIndian-American artist Noureen Sultana presented her painting to Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi
https://www.ascendjiva.com/media/artistictributetopmnarendramodi
