U.S.-India Relations: A Primer in Advance of Modi's State Visit to the United States with Basant Sanghera, Principal at The Asia Group

This week, A'ndre spoke with Basant Sanghera, Principal at The Asia Group and former NSC Director for India and the Indian Ocean, on the state of U.S.-India relations in advance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official state visit this month. We dissect how bilateral relations between the United States and India have evolved since the latter's independence in 1947, and assess whether India's foreign policy truly follows a stance of 'non-alignment'. Basant shares his views on India's tense relationship with China, three years removed from the Ladakh skirmish (a tense situation in which both Indian and Chinese troops were killed), and whether India portends to figure prominently into the U.S. strategy on China. We also chat briefly about India's perceived positive relationship with Russia, particularly in the context of the Russo-Ukraine War, in addition to how India plays 'big brother' to some of its smaller neighbors in the Indian Ocean region. Finally, we discuss what economic relations look like between the United States and India, paying particular focus to India's fast growth in the tech sector, while also touching a bit on issues pertaining to human rights.