"There is very little that is not discussed,” a senior American official told me recently. The official was referring to the high-paced, mind-bogglingly broad, and efficaciously deep and diverse set of discussions between India and the United States (US). They include a wide range of actors in play. Whether it’s the head of university associations looking to sow new seeds of partnerships with India’s leading technology institutions, the CEOs of semiconductor firms in dialogue with potential vendors and the government
"There is very little that is not discussed,” a senior American official told me recently. The official was referring to the high-paced, mind-bogglingly broad, and efficaciously deep and diverse set of discussions between India and the United States (US). They include a wide range of actors in play. Whether it’s the head of university associations looking to sow new seeds of partnerships with India’s leading technology institutions, the CEOs of semiconductor firms in dialogue with potential vendors and the government in India, working groups understanding each other’s quantum capabilities, defence primes striking agreements with Indian start-ups, large American corporations negotiating co-production agreements with the Indian public sector, or stakeholders workshopping solutions to export controls and the future of the bio-economy, there is a distinct vocabulary of understanding, patience, and action that has emerged between the US and India.
The grammar is being written in real-time at the functional level by negotiators and stakeholders alike. It is shaped by scriptwriters at the apex of both governments. Notwithstanding the expected friction between words and deeds, there is a common language for cooperation, partnership, and mini-alliances in the making. This will not be a grand alliance. Both sides understand this. This is about creating complimentary eco-systems from defence and space to engine manufacturing and a wide range of activities involved in packaging and assembling chips.
A defence accelerator called INDUS-X will be launched just as the Prime Minister (PM) touches down in the American capital. Dozens of start-ups, large defence firms, export controllers, and defence officials will spend a day-and-a-half looking to strike deals, socialising capabilities and making connections for future innovations.
Nothing like this has been done in the past. This is not a one-off event, but a process that is likely to deliver joint challenges and funding down the line. Crucially, and clearly indicative of the fresh verve in ties, INDUS-X is the product of an inclusive process of discussions and negotiations between the two governments and a wide range of private-sector actors. These are not just delegations, but decentralised high-voltage advances that are enabled by the government, and driven by those outside of the same. A lot of the time, the latter was found moving the former.
This is the framework for PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington DC this week. There is an electricity in the administrative ingenuity, disruptiveness, and a sheer optimism for progress that will likely shape the contours of the PM’s interactions with President Joe Biden and senior administration officials, his speech at a joint session of the US Congress, exchanges with diplomats during a lunch at the state department, and 1,200 business leaders and innovators who will listen to the PM speak at the historic Kennedy Centre, among other conversations.
In part, the framework for both dialogues during the visit and the clear deliverables that will be announced this week were powered by the bilateral initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
The iCET found mention in a read-out following a meeting between Modi and Biden in the summer of 2022. It is a framework for technology cooperation that is coordinated by the national security councils in both countries.
In part, the investments made at present bring the two countries structurally closer to each other than at any time in the past. No doubt, the investments in the recent past are also paying off. The momentum underscoring something called the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership in the early part of this century, and the high velocity deployment of resources and capital that led to a nuclear deal in 2008 set the stage for the makeovers underway right now.
No doubt, the strides of the past opened pathways for action. The vision to take the leap remains in the hands of leaders, negotiators, and multiple stakeholders in the present. There is a desire for deep change. The only shirking, in both countries, can be traced to regulators trying to keep pace with the changes that are afoot. They too understand that the strategic tide is for a profounder partnership. “There is no more time to admire a problem,” one negotiator told me. “It’s about developing a position,” and “pushing bureaucracies to make the change” that is needed.
This clear strategic verve for actionable change and progress defines this moment in India-US relations. At the operational level, this trip has served as a force function for both governments and corporations to act and deliver. At the political level, it underlines the crucial significance of this relationship to both countries to make the most of this moment in geopolitical change. They do so for their own respective sets of imperatives, and a sense of purpose and understanding that is unique in the long history of these outsized democracies.
Rudra Chaudhari is director, Carnegie India. The views expressed are personal
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website