Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a bonafide rocket star during his trip to Washington, D.C., last week.
There were 7,000 cheering supporters who greeted him at the White House. Modi was treated to a lavish state dinner by President Joe Biden, who acted as if the two were the best of friends. Lawmakers from both parties gave Modi rapturous standing ovations as he delivered an address to a joint session of Congress, the second of his decadelong tenure.
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The busy day ended with a long joint statement issued by Biden and Modi, which covered everything from defense cooperation and clean energy initiatives to the Indo-Pacific and public health. At the same time, Biden avoided India's democratic backsliding and human rights abuses (though some Democratic lawmakers stayed away from Modi’s speech in protest).
The United States is now India’s largest trade partner; in 2022, bilateral trade reached more than $132 billion. The U.S. used to be locked out of the Indian defense market, but today the Indians increasingly eye U.S. weapons platforms as an alternative to their dependence on Russian equipment. The U.S. and Indian militaries now train with one another regularly, and the two countries are key participants in the Quad (along with Japan and Australia), an informal defense partnership in the Indo-Pacific.
But make no mistake: just because U.S.-India ties are on the upswing does not mean the two countries are flirting with some grand strategic alliance.
This has nothing to do with personalities and everything to do with interests and worldviews.
India is, quite frankly, a selfish country. "Selfish," in this case, is actually a glowing attribute. Individual states need to be selfish in order to survive, prosper and maintain maximum flexibility.
Some countries do this better than others; a lot of nations in the Global South would describe the U.S. as a selfish country. Still, extensive security commitments from Western Europe to East Asia and all of the burdens attached to them would suggest the U.S. is perhaps too unselfish for its own good.
India, however, does what it wants, when it wants. Interests, not feelings or values, are the foundation of the country’s foreign policy.
New Delhi has been remarkably consistent in this regard; from India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to its current one, the Indians have been extremely disciplined in not fully aligning with any one great power. Whereas the U.S. tends to view the world in black-and-white, with China on the other side, India sees a complicated world with various shades of gray.
Whereas the U.S. views the word "alliance" in positive-sum terms, India views it as akin to locking yourself in handcuffs.
Take India's relationship with Moscow. "It’s been a cardinal principle of our foreign policy, which still remains valid, that maintaining a strong relationship and a good relationship with Russia is essential,” India’s foreign minister told the Economist. "The geopolitical logic indicates that ... I’m giving you an Indian perspective; we would like to have multiple choices. And obviously, try to make the best of it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that."
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U.S. officials and pundits are liable to read these comments with a clenched jaw. Indian officials, though, don’t care. They will continue to do what’s best for themselves, even if it makes other powers uncomfortable.
Daniel DePetris (@DanDePetris) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. His opinions are his own.