On June 8, 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint session of Congress. I was in the room as Modi, reflecting on the U.S.-India relationship, said “the constraints of the past are behind us and foundations of the future are firmly in place.” Also present—in fact, sitting right behind Modi—was then-Vice President Joe Biden. In the years since, Biden has generally echoed Modi’s positive message.
When it comes to India, however, today’s Biden is at a critical juncture. In front of him, he has an opportunity to further build on Modi’s “foundations of the future” in the form of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. But if he caves to Democratic demands to sanction India for its purchase of a Russian defense system, he could also undermine all of these foundations. It’s imperative Biden use his presidential powers to defend the U.S.-India relationship.
