CUTS Washington Monthly Brief
#32, November 2020
India-U.S. Cooperation Potential under a Biden-Harris Administration
 
The ensuing Biden-Harris administration reflects a strong American leadership that could address global concerns and challenges on a range of cross-cutting issues to human health, economies and the planet. Biden’s promise of building back better domestically as well as regaining the global reputation of the U.S. as a beacon of international cooperation is truly what the world expects. 

India with its intent and actions in that direction can be a significant enabler for the U.S. to regain that credibility. 

It is evident that the incoming U.S. administration is willing to work together with India and other like-minded countries to resurrect international organisations such as the WHO, WTO and foster international cooperation on issues such as pandemic response and climate change. For example, the nomination of John Kerry who signed the Paris Climate Agreement on behalf of the U.S. in 2016 as a special presidential envoy for climate is a clear signal. 

Similarly, Joe Biden’s call for unity to fight back and overcome the pandemic together will definitely fill the vacuum felt in the U.S. leadership over the recent past. The U.S. and India with other G20 member nations may now join hands to foster international cooperation in areas of vaccine production and distribution in a more equitable and affordable manner.  
On climate change, partnership with India and the U.K., among others, will not just help the U.S. promote clean energy, but also to advocate it effectively while fostering and strengthening economic and development partnerships for climate friendly infrastructure and exchange of best practices. 

Equally, the new administration has tremendous opportunity to expand bilateral and multi-country efforts in building trusted and resilient supply chains. This is also important to foster defence and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The nomination of Antony Blinken as Biden’s Secretary of State and his views about the increasingly assertive China as a common challenge for India and U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region is abundantly clear on the cementing of future bilateral relations.

Considering Biden’s contribution for the India-U.S. civil nuclear accord in the past coupled with his friendly posture towards India, deepening that sort of economic, environment, development and security cooperation should be par for the course. This confidence was visible from Indian side also as the ruling party BJP’s economic affairs spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal who expressed confidence in resuming talks for a mutually beneficial trade deal with the U.S. and EU, supposedly as an alternative to the recently signed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, where India decided to stay out.

By partnering with likeminded countries such as India, the U.S. can effectively influence fairer globalisation and more inclusive multilateralism that is critical for humanity and the planet to survive.
                                        
Pradeep S. Mehta
Editor

P.S.: Will a Biden-Harris administration be able to deal with the growing political crisis in Afghanistan in the wake of the recent announcement of reducing the American troops?

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Asia forms the world's biggest trade bloc, a China-backed group excluding U.S.
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India Climate Agenda for the Biden Administration
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India, US extend nuclear energy partnership by 10 more years
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Kamala Harris’ victory will have a deep impact on India-US affinities and strategic partnerships
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The Biden Administration: Hopes and Aspirations for Indo-U.S. Relations
The U.S. being the oldest and India being the largest democracies, the future of bilateral relations will depend upon how the Biden administration can carry forward the legacy of both its democratic and republican predecessors in deepening the relationship. Having a track record of steering the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Deal and worked with the President Obama in taking the relationships to the higher levels, there remains hopes and aspirations for greater partnerships not just between the two countries, but for ensuring a rules-based Indo-Pacific which is ‘the’ imperative for a balanced global order for underlining peace, security, stability and prosperity. This second edition of the ONW continues to reflect upon such developments.