US-India Relations: Why Modi Will Be Key to Biden's Asia Plans

The US and India are the world's two biggest democracies - and the relationship between them is one  of the world's most important bilateral partnerships. In political, economic and security terms, the two countries have grown closer and closer over the past two decades, with the Trump administration hailing a period of "remarkable growth" in 2020.

Of course, it's no coincidence that this convergence has happened as a third power - China - continues to increase its reach and influence in the wider region - a rise both the US and India would prefer to see contained. 

So with President-elect Biden set to take charge imminently, what does the future hold for the US-India alliance? How will his relationship with Narendra Modi shape the wider Asian region in the decades to come?

To discuss all this, our inaugural episode of 2021 draws on the insights of two remarkable guests. Nirupama Rao, a former Indian foreign secretary who has also served as Indian ambassador to both the US and China, has had a ringside seat to all these developments. 

She joins Raja Mohan, widely acknowledged as one of the most perceptive commentators around on Indian strategic affairs; he is a contributing editor for The Indian Express, and Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore.

Also joining us from Singapore is our guest host, journalist and writer James Crabtree, himself an India specialist, and an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. 

For more on this episode, including a reading list, check out our website asiamatterspod.com, where you can also give us feedback and subscribe to our mailing list.