As Prime Minister Narendra Modi concludes his visit to the United States, there is a growing consensus among policymakers that cooperation in technology sectors is the key driver of bilateral relations in the years ahead. Unaffected by the shifting global geopolitics, the two largest democracies in the world have a natural affinity towards each other, a bond strengthened over decades by the growing contributions of the Indian community to America’s economic growth. The number of Indian-origin CEOs heading the technology giants is constantly growing and so is their clout. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, whose 2009 tour was the last state visit to the White House by an Indian prime minister, was credited with giving a strong push to the Indo-US nuclear deal.
During the nuclear deal negotiations, it was proved that key persons of Indian origin in many walks of American life could influence US policy. Also, Modi’s visit holds immense significance as it comes just before India will host the G20 summit in September. In the rapidly changing international geopolitics, marked by China’s growing hegemony, India and the US have every reason to come closer. For nearly two decades, the two countries have been talking about transforming defence cooperation. The sea change in the Indo-Pacific and the shared interests in stabilising the Asian balance of power are fuelling demand for a solid India-US defence partnership. But this relationship should not come at the cost of Russia with whom India has shared a long history.