President Barack Obama’s visit to India for Republic Day may mark an inflection point in U.S.-India relations. The symbolism of the invitation alone was unmistakable: in one bold gesture, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept aside the cautious, zero-sum politics of the last decade and openly embraced closer ties with the United States. With “strategic partnership” now a generic descriptor of cordial bilateral ties, President Obama laid down a marker of his own, resolving that America can become India’s “best partner” in achieving its great power aspirations. To show this was not mere rhetoric, both sides delivered substance as well, most notably a workaround to liability problems that had beleaguered the 2005 civil nuclear deal, agreement on a new ten-year defense framework and projects for defense cooperation, and deepened engagement in the Asia-Pacific.
