By Akhilesh Pillalamarri
Hagel’s visit demonstrates the resurgence of U.S. interest in India as both countries strengthen defense ties.
United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel arrived in India Thursday for a three-day visit. Hagel’s trip comes on the heels of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to India a few days ago. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also visited India recently. The fact that these high-profile trips by American officials have occurred so close to one another indicates the resurgence of American interest in India. Furthermore, the emergence of a strong, decisive, and reformist government under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India has suddenly put India back on the U.S. agenda. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on reminding the world that India is a large country that cannot be ignored and whose interests must be taken seriously.
Secretary Hagel is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s Defense and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley this Friday, as well as U.S. and Indian defense company executives. Talks are expected to be fruitful for both countries.
Hagel is in India to strengthen defense ties between the two nations. Although the two nations have been moving closer over the past decade, they have not become as close as some U.S. policymakers would have liked. In fact, events of the past year, including India’s support for Russia in Crimea and the Devyani Khobragade case, show the limitations of a U.S.-India relationship.
Read the full story at The Diplomat