PTI WASHINGTON

The outgoing Biden administration has been described as one of the most pro-India administrations in decades, an eminent expert has said, adding that it will be a tough act to follow. 

Aparna Pande, director of the Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia at the Hudson Institute, remarked that the administration’s ties with India were solidified because of a shared belief in India’s importance to American national security interests.

"The outgoing Biden administration was one of the most pro-India administrations in decades and will be a tough act to follow for any presidential administration. Ties with India were cemented because of the belief that India's rise is in and of itself important to American national security interests," Pande told PTI.

She highlighted the deepening of security and defence relations, including high technology, which India has long sought. "Irritants like democratic backsliding and the issue tied to the 'murder-for-hire' incident were not allowed to derail the partnership.

India's concerns—whether Pakistan or China—were borne in mind, and the US provided intelligence and other support to India with respect to China," Pande noted.

Discussing the incoming Trump administration, Pande said India continues to enjoy bipartisan support in the US. "President-elect Trump has a good relationship with PM Modi and an overall favorable view of India. His nominees for key positions—Rep Mike Waltz, Senator Marco Rubio—have long expressed pro-India positions, which is likely to ensure policy continuity," she said.

"It was during Trump 1.0 that the Indo-Pacific policy, the Quad, and sharing of high technology (STA-1) with India began, so most of these are likely to continue," Pande added. On India-China relations, she said Trump 2.0 would likely maintain support for India while seeking to contain China's economic, technological, and military rise.

However, Pande cautioned about challenges such as trade disagreements, high illegal immigration from India, and potential quid pro quo demands for high technology sharing. She noted uncertainty over Trump’s stance on human rights and religious freedom.

"The 'murder-for-hire' incident is unlikely to go away, but it remains to be seen how much focus will be placed on it. The Trump 2.0 administration will be one that believes in great power politics, not strategic altruism," she concluded.