‘Estranged democracies’ is how Dennis Kux once characterised relations between the US and India. For much of India’s independent history, Kux’s characterisation hit the nail on the head. A norm of suspicion about the Americans seemed to have institutionalised itself within India’s strategic culture, and there were good reasons for this.
As India and the US started technical talks early this month over a formal bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, the focus has once again shifted to the difficulties both countries are facing in coming to a consensus. While India and the US are facing severe criticisms over the high-profile agreement, the situation is more complex on the US side. Though this is not surprising in the light of the US conceding ‘too’ much and India not losing ‘anything’, the clock is ticking for the passage of the deal in the US Congress.
Wrapping up his three-day India sojourn, US President George W. Bush reiterated that the relationship between India and the United States was 'closer than ever before' and that India was a natural ally for the US. Ally or not, after months of intense deliberations and hard bargaining, India and the US have inked a landmark civilian nuclear cooperation agreement in New Delhi in early March, allowing India to access U.S. nuclear fuel and technology to meet its growing energy requirements.