'Trump's Theatrics Prelude To Dealmaking': Biden Era Officials Hopeful Of India-US Ties Revamp

Even as ties between the United States and India have plunged to a low due to trade tensions, top officials of the erstwhile Joe Biden-led US administration believe that a revamp is possible.

"Donald Trump’s theatrics are often the prelude to dealmaking," said former US Deputy Secretary Kurt M Campbell and ex-National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in a joint article for Foreign Affairs.

Their views come in the backdrop of uncertainty over the pace of India-US trade talks, with the latest round of negotiations in August-end being called off. This was preceded by Trump's decision to impose a cumulative 50% tariff on India.

Campbell and Sullivan argue that the India-US strategic partnership, which enjoys "bipartisan support", has "effectively disincentivized reckless Chinese adventurism" in the Indo-Pacific region.

For India, the US partnership is crucial in view of an "unaccommodating power in China on its border", they said, while also pointing that a lull in ties could strain technology, education, and defence partnerships with Washington.

On the other hand, the US would end up losing a key strategic partner if the current trajectory in ties prevail. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the recently held Shanghai Organisation Summit show that the US "could end up driving India directly into its adversaries’ arms", they said.

Campbell and Sullivan also touched upon the issue of hyphenating the US' relations with India and Pakistan — a proposition which is widely disliked in the strategic corridors of New Delhi.

The US must "refrain from hyphenating" the relations, and "there should be no 'India-Pakistan' policy", they said.

The US diplomacy has been heavily weighted toward New Delhi in recent years, and there are reasons, the former top diplomats said. "The United States has enduring interests in Pakistan in combating terrorism and limiting nuclear and missile proliferation, but these pale in significance to Washington’s multifaceted and consequential interests regarding India’s future."

Their remarks come at a time when Trump has repeatedly claimed that he brokered the recent truce between India and Pakistan, despite New Delhi's firm denial.

Proponents of better bilateral ties need to reimagine India-US relations, with a focus on "five pillars of strength", the former US administration officials said.

The first pillar should be based on an agreement to a 10-year action plan in the technologies that will define the future, namely — artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotech, quantum, clean energy, telecommunications, and aerospace, they said.

The second pillar is of "enhanced economic cooperation", which should include a bilateral trade agreement, Campbell and Sullivan wrote.

The third pillar is of co-development, co-production, joint logistics, and interoperability in the defence space, and the fourth pillar should focus on "increased intelligence cooperation. Finally, the fifth pillar of the ties should be focussed towards commitment to global problem solving. "The unique strengths of the two countries present significant opportunities for dealing with the climate crisis, food security, and public health," they said.