Indo-US relations. Transition from Uncertainity to Solidarity onwards:

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1 Indo-US relations Transition from Uncertainity to Solidarity In 1927, Jawaharlal Nehru stated: [The] great problem of the near future will be American imperialism, even more than British imperialism. Despite his scepticism about America s rise to global hegem ony, in a speech to the US Congress in 1949 Nehru had suggested: Friendship and co-operation between our two countries are natural.' In 1999, PM Vajpayee could plausibly claim once again that India and the United States are natural allies '. In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated: India is today embarked on a journey inspired by many dreams. We welcome having America by our side. There is much we can accomplish together.' In 2014, during PM's visit to USA, a joint vision statement and a joint op-ed in the Washington Post, Modi and Obama vowed to "chalein saath saath - together we go forward" with a new agenda to realise the full potential of a renewed US-India partnership for the 21st century onwards: At the end of ColdWar, India realized non-alignment would no longer work in the absence of superpower competition. Enough time had passed to render anti- imperialism an outmoded ideology, particularly as India s own

2 economy began growing with an outward orientation. a) Economic factors Faced with a severe balance of payments crisis, Prime Minister Rao s government initiated a series of reforms to liberalize the Indian economy. This opened the door to foreign private capital, a significant amount of which was American.So did the participation of American investors. Former US Under Secretary of State Nicholas R. Burns points out that the big break- through in US India relations was achieved originally by the private sector '. [fig : PM. Rao with Prez.Clinton, in 1994] There are several areas where economic cooperation between India and the US can progress. These include infrastructure, IT, Telecom sector, energy and other knowledge industries such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

3 b) Defence Cooperations This the most significant change in the Indo-US relations in the post-cold War era.because Cooperation in this field was almost a taboo in the Cold War days. The US Defence Secretary William Perry in 1995, signed Agreed Minutes on Defence Cooperation with his Indian counterpart paving the way for bilateral security cooperation to deal with the post-cold War uncertainties. Although it did not signify making of an alliance, it opened up a hitherto closed avenue for cooperation at least in principle. The new US Strategic Military Guidance announced in January 2012 by President Obama puts greater emphasis on the Pacific region and refers to India as a 'Strategic Partner'. Key provisions include :- 1 ) Maintaining security and stability. 2 ) Defeating violent religious extremism and terrorism. 3 )Disaster relief. 4 )Preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and associated materials, data, and technologies. 5 )Protecting the free flow of commerce and resources through the vital sea lanes of Indian Ocean.

4 Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in 2013, signed a Joint Declaration on Defence Cooperation highlighted the 'deepening of Indo-US relations'. [fig : During PM Singh's visit in 2013] India s defence cooperation with the US, which includes joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, and cooperation in counter-terrorism. It will not only focus on defence equipment transactions, but cooperative defence manufacturing, technology transfer initiatives and joint development of advanced weapons systems for use by both of our armed services. The past decade of defence cooperation continues to be a significant departure from the late 1990 s whereby US sanctions were imposed following India s

5 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. The evolution of US-India security and military cooperation relationship moves forward in the backdrop of the broad interests of both countries In the larger perspective, Indo-US defence relations are poised to remain on a higher progressive trajectory.the key ingredients for continued expedited success should include transparency, predictability and accountability in all areas of engagement. Pokhran-II and its impact,1998, : In May 1998, India detonated five nuclear devices at Pokhran, the site of its first nuclear test twentyfour years earlier.

6 Barely two weeks later, Pakistan detonated six nuclear devices at the Chagai Hills. The immediate American response was to place economic sanctions on both countries. The tests precipitated the longest series of highlevel bilateral talks in the history of the Indo- American relationship and for the first time, there was an attempt to structure the Indo-American relationship independent of Indo-Pakistani or Indo- Russian concerns. For the first time in the history of India USA relations, a genuine attempt was made at a balanced approach in American policy towards South Asia. This vindicated the Indian view that the world gives respect to countries with nuclear weapons. When Pakistan launched an offensive on Indian territory in the Kargil district of Kashmir,India found the USA willing to place responsibility for the aggression squarely on Pakistan s shoulders.this marked a change in the American attitude toward Kashmir previously sympathetic to Pakistan. Although India voluntarily declared that it was not going to conduct any more tests, the US continued pressurising India to sign the NPT[non-proliferation treaty] and CTBT[comprehensive test ban treaty]. c) Strategic Relations In 2004, India and the United States formulated the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP), which laid the foundations for : cooperation in civilian

7 nuclear activities, civilian space programmes, and high-technology trade, along with an expanded dialogue on missile defence. On 2005 the two countries announced the most wideranging partnership in the history of their bilateral relations, covering the economy, energy security, democracy promotion, defence cooperation, and high technology and space cooperation. USA explicitly recognized and cast itself as prepared to legitimize the nuclear weapons programme of a non-npt state that had consistently opposed the global non-proliferation regime (though, as India claimed in its defence, it had de facto fulfilled the non-proliferation objectives of an NPT state) The end-game on India USA negotiations toward an agreement governing cooperation in the nuclear sphere came into focus in late The Obama administration s National Security Strategy and the USA India Strategic Dialogue of 2010 further reinforce the commitment of both countries to a broad-based partnership, covering a gamut of ties, including non-proliferation. In 2014 Modi's visit to US had Vision Statement for the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership -'Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go' Harsh V. Pant,commentator on International Relations,highlighted the importance of India to US strategic planning by saying: "India is key to the US ability to create a stable balance of power in the larger Indo-Pacific and at a time of resource constraints, it needs partners like India to shore

8 up its sagging credibility in the region in face of Chinese onslaught. d) Energy and Climate Cooperation Recognizing the strategic importance of energy access and security, and building on partnership under the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue, the United States and India continue to expand energy cooperation, exchange best practices and address the global concerns of climate change. Acknowledging the significant risks climate change and environmental health pose to both countries, the United States and India are also furthering cooperation on addressing, mitigating, and adapting to the effects climate change. U.S.-India Energy Dialogue : The United States and India held the Energy Dialogue in March 2014 in New Delhi. The Working Groups for Coal; Oil and Gas; New Technologies and Renewable Energy; and Power and Energy Efficiency addressed cooperation in electrical grid and power generation, energy efficiency, oil and gas exploration and investment, expanding markets for renewable energy technologies, and addressing barriers to clean energy deployment. U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE): Launched in 2009, PACE brings together seven U.S.

9 government agencies to partner with India on a broad range of clean energy research and deployment activities. Since its inception, PACE has mobilized more than $2 billion in public and private clean energy finance to support India s clean energy goals, including support for 20% of India s first 1,000 megawatts of installed solar energy capacity. Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE) The newest component of PACE is the PEACE initiative, launched by the Governments of India and the United States in September 2013 to harness commercial enterprise to bring clean energy access to unserved and underserved Indian villages. During the March 2014 Energy Dialogue, the two governments finalized a Plan of Activities for PEACE, announcing their intent to jointly provide $8 million to a new PACEsetter Fund to support the development of early-stage, innovative off-grid clean energy solutions.

10 [fig :the then Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, after PEACE was signed (Mar,2014) ] In July 2014, USAID announced the creation of a Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN), a new alliance of businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and government to strengthen India s ecosystem in support of market-driven approaches to energy access. Climate Change Working Group: The first meeting of the U.S.-India Climate Change Working Group was held July 2014 on the margins of the Strategic Dialogue.

11 The group discussed how best to: 1 ) achieve an ambitious multilateral global agreement on climate change in Paris in 2015 for the post-2020 period 2 ) promote existing and new cooperation on clean energy, smart grid, and energy efficiency; 3 ) increase cooperation on adaptation and resiliency to climate change. 4 ) increase cooperation on sustainable forestry and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). 5 ) discussions on phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and discussed other areas of potential joint work, including air quality monitoring and improving environmental health.