ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the Modi government has redefined the parameters of the India–US relationship and thereby delinked India’s strategic autonomy from the policy of non-alignment. The chapter discusses three factors that have had a significant influence on India’s altered policy towards the United States, especially under Modi: At the structural level, the change brought about in the security environment by a powerful and aggressive China; at the domestic level, the strong position enjoyed by Modi both within his party and in parliament; and, third, the political authority and world outlook of Prime Minister Modi and his conviction that partnership with the United States is essential for India to effect social and economic transformation. Finally, the chapter discusses where on the spectrum of alignment – weak, moderate, or strong – India’s current relationship with the United States is best characterised.
