In his second term, President Trump is making major changes in American foreign policy. India-US relations have been improving for the last few decades. It is in America’s own interest to improve relations with India and it is the responsibility of the US administration not to ignore Indian foreign policy. Foreign policy expert and JNU Assistant Professor Dr. Abhishek Srivastava says that America is going through internal crisis and in his second term, President Trump seems unable to implement many of his policies.
Limiting or weakening values-based cooperation among countries on global issues calls American leadership into question. However, it would be premature to say that America wants to advance bilateral relations by ignoring India’s interests. In some cases, the US may emphasize a strategic partnership with India to advance its own interests, but this may not always completely coincide with India’s interests.
For example, the United States wants a strong partnership with India to boost security cooperation to counter China, but it is also essential for India to meet its own security and strategic interests.
According to Dr. Abhishek Srivastava, historically, Pakistan was America’s ally in this region against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In 1987, America gave Pakistan the status of a non-NATO ally, which continues even today.
Pakistan’s status as a non-NATO ally in the war against terrorism and countries like Turkey being NATO members raise questions over US policy against global terrorism. Dr. Abhishek Srivastava said that the post-Cold War era has seen the beginning of a new chapter in the relations between India and the United States. The relations between the two countries changed from isolation to engagement. There were many political, economic and strategic factors behind this change.