The India-U.S.A. relationship has been turbulent because of the vagaries of the Cold War, followed by a unipolar world order. Now, with an emergent multipolar world order, India offers the U.S.A. a valuable opportunity as a pivot to Asia and the much-contested Indo-Pacific overtures. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are conversations about what the emerging world power dynamics will look like. Although there are many speculations, there is no consensus. However, one pertinent agreement is regarding the rising influence of China in the region and shifting power dynamics in world geopolitics.
India features as a prominent element in America’s rebalancing strategy and framework. Perhaps, the single most important testament to this is the rechristening of Asia Pacific as Indo-Pacific, bringing into light the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean in America’s approach to the region. This newfound collaborative approach has spilled over into strategic and defence partnerships, among many other areas of enduring cooperation.
In this context, CPPR in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, organised a two-day international conference on ‘Indo-U.S. Relations: Change, Continuity and Transformation’ in Kochi on April 19-20, 2022, with a view to advancing the conversations in Indo-U.S. foreign policy cooperation. This is a publication of five research articles from the conference proceedings in five chapters.
The chapters discuss common interests and areas of difference in India-U.S.A. relations that are expected to influence policy-making. Many of these are under active consideration by policymakers and are high on the agenda of experts who delve deep into these issues and academics who study and teach.
We hope that the scholarly papers in this volume will add value to the conversations and deliberations on Indo-U.S. relations.