The U.S. and India: Building New Bridges Towards a Special Relationship.

Abstract

This paper will seek to demonstrate why it is worthwhile for the United States to pursue a special relationship with India, as opposed to keeping relations status quo, by looking at several different aspects. While some literature on the alliance has been written, such as “India's Rise, America's Interest: The Fate of the U.S.-Indian Partnership” by Evan A. Feigenbaum1 and “India in the Indian Ocean: Growing Mismatch between Ambitions and Capabilities” by Harsh V. Pant, no paper or book has looked at all the factors — geographic, economic, military, etc. Furthermore, no scholars have advocated for a special relationship, instead focusing solely on increasing military or economic ties. ----/---

The paper will begin by explaining why states form alliances in the first place as opposed to pursuing their interests alone. It will then attempt to define what constitutes a special relationship by using the current United Kingdom - United States relationship as a case study. It will then place the possible Indian - American special relationship into the current political climate, looking at trends in both the Obama and Trump administrations, as well as the current Indian government. Following this, the paper will look at the current state of the Indian - American relationship. The paper will then look at India’s geographic, military, economic, and cultural power and potential, as well as several other benefits, to show why such a union is in the best interests of the United States. Finally, the paper will go through the potential downsides of such a relationship for America, while also raising the question of whether India would even agree to such a relationship.