Indian Politics & Policy Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2018 | Page 13

Indian Politics & Policy
global system. In line with the new dynamism
noted by observers concerning
the general tenor of Indian diplomacy,
“the Modi government has been able
to pursue a new and decisive course, ...
allow(ing) bilateral relations to achieve
positive momentum compared to the
drift observed in the final years of the
second UPA administration.” 41 As per
the first NDA, the BJP has furthermore
sought an unequivocal and un-ambivalent
embrace of the United States,
which displays none of the ideological
baggage or hang-ups associated with
previous INC leaders. In these ways,
“Modi has tossed away not only the
hesitations but also the hypocrisies of
history” 42 by shifting the tone underpinning
India-US relations, which underpins
how his particular leadership
values/style (as central to constructivist
accounts) have influenced the nature of
these diplomatic ties.
Underscoring these sentiments,
when Narendra Modi and President
Obama met in 2014, they issued a statement
proclaiming that “we will have a
transformative relationship as trusted
partners in the 21 st century, ... our partnership
will be a model for the rest of
the world.” 43 Since then, relations have
centered upon deepening cooperation
in the fields of defence, trade, civil
nuclear affairs, and Asian security. In
2015, Obama also became the first US
President to be the chief guest at India’s
Republic Day parade. During that visit,
the “US-India Joint Strategic Vision
for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean
Region” was signed outlining a shared
understanding to promote “peace,
prosperity, stability and security, ... and
not(ed) that India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and
the United States’ rebalance to Asia provide
(mutual) opportunities.” 44 In June
2015, the “New Framework for Defence
Cooperation” was formally renewed for
10 years during the visit of US Secretary
of Defense Ashton Carter. This agreement
then led to the signing of a “Master
Information Exchange Agreement”
between the Pentagon and India’s Ministry
of Defense to share aircraft-carrier
technology heavily desired by New Delhi.
The frequency of these diplomatic
agreements and their accompanying
scholarly analysis reiterated the importance
of India-US relations within the
wider foreign policy aim of great power
recognition, and confirmed its normative
presence under the Modi government.
Modi further extolled these virtues
when addressing the US Congress
in June 2016, asserting that “there is a
new symphony in play” 45 as Indian officials
further emboldened relations by
noting mutual ties “rooted in shared
values of freedom, democracy, universal
human rights, tolerance and pluralism,
equal opportunities for all citizens,
and rule of law” 46 —elements that further
celebrated and reiterated the political
commonalities between them. Later
in that year, India and the United States
also signed a long-awaited defense
agreement—the “Logistics Exchange
Memorandum of Agreement,” which
had been negotiated since 2004. Overcoming
the deep-seated hesitations
of previous Indian governments, who
were wary of entering into such a close
defense partnership with the United
States, the Agreement allowed “both
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