Is Obama really India’s friend?

If stately symbolism were the sole markers of an exalted status, the Indo-US relationship would be characterised by the bubbly flow of champagne, such as you might see when president Barack Obama hosts prime minister Manmohan Singh at a state dinner at the White House next month.

But no amount of banquet bonhomie and frothy fine-speak can draw attention away from the growing realisation that under Obama, the Indo-US relationship is perhaps adrift. The contrast with the George Bush era, when relations with India were cemented by the civilian nuclear agreement and enjoyed top billing, is striking.

On virtually every single aspect of US foreign policy orientation that impacts on India, from the Af-Pak war to an evangelical  earnestness about nuclear non-proliferation, there are signals that the Obama administration’s priorities may not be overly sensitive to Indian expectations from the relationship.

For instance, India has shared interests with the US in Afghanistan, where the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted for a bomb attack on Thursday. Yet, US strategy appears to revolve around relying on — and even rewarding — Pakistan, despite compelling evidence of the latter’s role in the spiralling jihadi violence in Afghanistan and against India.

As India confronts heightened tensions on both its eastern and western frontiers (with Pakistan and China, respectively), what are its foreign policy strengths and weaknesses? What are American expectations of its relationship with India, and how do they fit in with its strategic vision for the region? How does China see the Indo-US relationship? Does India’s dalliance with the US come with the risk of missed opportunities in Asia? DNA presents an indepth feature, with perspectives from New Delhi, New York and Hong Kong.