Washington, D.C. — The relationship between India and the United States has become a priority for both nations and is increasingly important to advancing shared interests in global peace, prosperity, and freedom.
Over the past year, the Center for American Progress organized a binational group of Indian and American experts in a wide variety of fields to work together to craft a vision for the future of U.S.-India relations.
The resulting task force report presents specific ideas on how to further build and strengthen this critical partnership. The task force recommends that the two countries take the following steps:
- Build an economic relationship focused on creating jobs and economic opportunities in both countries.
- Work together through technical cooperation and innovation to build a clean energy future that can boost economic growth and combat climate change.
- Create a new Strategic Advantage Initiative to develop New Delhi’s defense capabilities as a premier security contributor in the Indo-Pacific and ensure that India has the capabilities to prevail in contested domains.
- Work together to strengthen democratic institutions at home, while cooperating in multilateral institutions such as the Community of Democracies and the Open Government Partnership to support democracy around the world.
- Enhance educational, cultural, and professional exchanges to strengthen ties between Indians and Americans.
The task force was co-chaired by Nirupama Rao, India’s former foreign secretary and Ambassador to the United States, and Richard Verma, former U.S. Ambassador to India. It brought together 20 experts—in fields as diverse as national security, business, energy policy, democracy, and more—from the United States and India to discuss the pressing issues facing the U.S.-India relationship today.
“It is hard to overstate the growing importance of the U.S.-India partnership in the coming decades, and the relationship must be a higher priority on policymakers’ radars,” Ambassador Rao said. “This report outlines the path forward for the relationship, and how policymakers can make good on its potential.”
“The United States should be nurturing its relationship with India now as an investment in the future,” Ambassador Verma said. “Fulfilling the possibilities of this relationship will require not only hard work and difficult choices by both countries but also deepened faith in one another and the belief that, over the long run, a stronger India will mean a stronger United States, and vice versa.”
On January 16, the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi will host an event featuring the task force co-chairs – Ambassadors Rao and Verma – discussing the report and the future of U.S.-India relations in a conversation moderated by Ashok Malik.
Read the report: “The United States and India: Forging an Indispensable Democratic Partnership” by the Center for American Progress Task Force on U.S.-India Relations.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at 202.478.6327 or [email protected].