ABSTRACT
This chapter examines American thinking about multipolarity and the role of India within it. It explores the competitive quality of India–China relations and what this means for multipolarity and the role of the US. US considerations changed after India tested nuclear weapons, with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee sending a private letter to President Clinton justifying them with reference to the threat to India posed by China. A strategic dialogue launched by the US and India after the 1998 nuclear tests revealed a compelling symmetry of interests in sustaining the strategic balance in Asia by managing China's power to prevent its predominance. In the economic realm, the US worked with India to expand its capacities for energy production, innovation, educational enhancement and agricultural productivity. India's growing strategic focus on East Asia is reflected in Narendra Modi's foreign policy priority of improving ties with South Asian neighbours.
