(This is the latest edition of the Political Line newsletter curated by Varghese K. George. The Political Line newsletter is India’s political landscape explained every week. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox every Friday.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heading to the U.S. this week, where President Joe Biden’s administration will be rolling out the red, or perhaps more fittingly, saffron carpet, for him. Given all the concerns that the Biden administration has feigned about the so-called democratic slide in India, this is going to be a particularly flexible diplomatic asana for it.
I have been reading a ton of expert commentaries on India-U.S. ties over the last few weeks, and have found a new reasoning has come to dominate the narrative. The common theme is that this is a relationship that prioritises shared interests over shared values. The amended thought — a change from the previous one that married shared interests and values — stems from the rationale that the U.S. should not worry too much about what is happening inside India; instead, it must focus on its interest in building ties with India. Needless to say, this is an echo of the U.S. administration’s view, as most expert commentaries out of Washington D.C. tend to be.
