Indo and US Relations with Modi Effect

                             Indo and US Relations with Modi Effect

U.S.-India Relations:

Since India’s independence, ties with the United States have weathered Cold War-era distrust and estrangement over India’s nuclear program. Relations have warmed in recent years and cooperation has strengthened across a range of economic and political areas.

India Declares Independence:

Britain declares the end of its colonial rule of the subcontinent and passes the Indian Independence Act, which divides the territory into Muslim-majority Pakistan and secular India, whose population is majority Hindu. Violent clashes between Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims follow, and as many as a million die in bloodshed amidst the forced migration of up to twenty million people.

Prime Minister Nehru Visits U.S.:

Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru meets with U.S. president Harry S. Truman on a multi-week tour tour of the United States. The trip precedes India’s formal proclamation of neutrality in the developing Cold War, in which it would take a leadership role within the Non-Alignment movement. This sets the tone for U.S.-India relations throughout the Cold War, creating constraints within the relationship, as well as opportunity for amity between Delhi and Moscow.

President Eisenhower Visits India:

President Dwight Eisenhower is the first serving U.S. president to visit the country. Eisenhower meets with President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and addresses Parliament.

India, China Fight Border War:

War breaks out between India and China over a disputed frontier. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru writes to President John F. Kennedy to request support from the United States. Washington supports India in the conflict, recognizing the McMahon line as the border, and provides air assistance and arms. Until the 1965 India-Pakistan War, strategic and military ties between Washington and Delhi remain close.

U.S. Agronomist Spurs Food Revolution:

Norman Borlaug travels to India to begin testing high-yield wheat varieties. His collaboration with Indian scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan results in the “Green Revolution,” and India goes from food scarcity to self-sufficiency within a decade.

1971 India, Pakistan Go to War:

India and Pakistan become embroiled in their third conflict as Pakistan descends into a civil war that ends with the creation of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, on December 6. Despite evidence of the Pakistan Army’s violence against its own citizens in East Pakistan, the United States sides with Islamabad, given its mediating role in Nixon’s rapprochement with China. India also signs a twenty-year Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the Soviet Union in August, sharply deviating from its previous position of non-alignment in the Cold War.

May 18, 1974 India Completes First Nuclear Test:

India detonates its first nuclear device, becoming the first nation outside the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to have declared nuclear capabilities. The move contributes to a period of estrangement between the United States and India that lasts over two decades.

January 1, 1978 President Carter Visits India:

U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits India on a three-day official trip to meet with Indian President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and Prime Minister Morarji Desai, and address Parliament. Desai reciprocates with an official six-day visit to Washington in June.

March 10, 1978 U.S. Enacts Nonproliferation Act:

The Carter administration enacts the Nuclear Nonproliferation Act, which requires countries not included in the Nonproliferation Treaty—which includes India—to allow inspections of all nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency. India refuses, and Washington ends all nuclear assistance to Delhi.

October 31, 1984 Indira Gandhi Assassinated

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated at her New Delhi residence by Sikh security guards seeking vengeance after her authorization of a military attack on a revered Sikh temple in Amritsar five months prior. Gandhi, the daughter of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, first took office in 1966. She made a state visit to Washington in 1982, which was followed by a high-level U.S. visit led by Vice President George H.W. Bush. She is succeeded by her son, Rajiv.

December 3, 1984 Bhopal Leak

A toxic gas and chemical leak at American-owned Union Carbide Pesticide Plant in Bhopal, India kills thousands. India unsuccessfully seeks extradition of the company’s chief executive from the United States for criminal prosecution as the death and disability toll climbs to the tens of thousands in the ensuing years. The incident harms U.S.-India relations, and continues to complicate the bilateral relationship years after.

May 20, 1990 U.S. Crisis Mission to Region:

Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gates travels to India and Pakistan to defuse tensions over the rapidly escalating insurgency in Kashmir. The trip comes amid fears of potential nuclear warfare between Pakistan and India.

July 24, 1991 Economic Reforms:

The government of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, launches sweeping economic reforms that help expand economic ties with the United States. Finance Minister Manmohan Singh oversees the opening of India’s economy to international trade and investment, deregulation, initiation of privatisation, tax reforms, and inflation-controlling measures that catalyze decades of fast growth.

May 11, 1998 India Tests Nuclear Devices:

The Indian government announces the completion of a series of underground nuclear tests close to the border with Pakistan, surprising U.S. intelligence organizations and raising fears the move could spark a regional nuclear arms race. The tests draw international condemnation and badly damage India’s relationship with the United States. After recalling the U.S. ambassador to India, President Bill Clinton imposes economic sanctions, required under U.S. law.

March 3, 1999 Pakistan, India Clash in Kashmir

Pakistani forces infiltrate Indian-administered Kashmir. India launches air strikes in return, and armed conflict continues through early July. After President Clinton summons Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington for a Fourth of July emergency meeting, Sharif withdraws Pakistani forces from their positions beyond the Line of Control.

March 20, 2000 Clinton Trip Signals Warming Ties:

President Bill Clinton makes the first U.S. presidential trip to India since 1978. The visit ends the estrangement of the post-1998 Indian nuclear weapons tests, although the Clinton administration presses India’s government to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum is also established during the visit. As India’s economy begins to take off, the trip indicates a further shift in Washington’s regional orientation away from its Cold War alliance with Pakistan.

September 22, 2001 U.S. Lifts India Sanctions:

The George W. Bush administration lifts all remaining U.S. sanctions (PDF) that were imposed on India after its 1998 nuclear test. Most economic sanctions had been eased within a few months of their imposition, and Congress authorized the president to remove all remaining restrictions in 1999.

March 15, 2005 Energy Security Dialogue:

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits New Delhi, where she and Indian officials agree to start a dialogue on energy security. The visit underscores an upswing in relations despite tensions over India’s possible energy cooperation with Iran and the U.S. sale of fighter jets to Pakistan.

June 28, 2005 U.S., India Sign New Defense Framework:

The United States and India sign the New Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship (PDF), which sets priorities for defense cooperation in maritime security, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and counterterrorism. In October, the two countries conduct the largest naval exercise to date, followed by major air and land exercises.

July 18, 2005 Landmark Civil Nuclear Deal:

India and the United States ink the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, a ten-year defense framework that lifts a three-decade U.S. moratorium on nuclear trade with India. Under the agreement, India agrees to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place all its civil resources under IAEA safeguards. In exchange, the United States agrees to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India. Congress gives final approval in October 2008.

March 1, 2006 President George W. Bush Visits India

U.S. President George W. Bush makes a visit to India, where he and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh finalize the framework of the civil nuclear deal and boost security and economic ties. The nuclear deal, completed in July 2007, makes India the only country outside of the Nonproliferation Treaty that has nuclear capabilities and is allowed to participate in nuclear commerce.

November 26, 2008 Terrorists Attack Taj Mahal Palace Hotel:

Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan attack the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. More than three hundred citizens die in the three-day conflagration, including six Americans. The United States cooperates closely with Indian authorities, sending FBI investigators and forensics experts.

November 24, 2009 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Begins U.S. State Visit:

U.S. President Barack Obama hosts the inaugural state visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Despite its symbolic importance, the trip fails to yield any significant breakthroughs in the bilateral relationship.

April 5, 2010 Economic and Financial Partnership:

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner makes his first official trip to India to launch the new U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership with Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The ministerial-level meetings kick off an effort to institutionalize deeper bilateral relations on economic and financial sector issues.

June 1, 2010 U.S., India Hold First Strategic Dialogue:

The United States and India formally convene the first U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue. A large, high-ranking delegation of Indian officials visits Washington, DC, and Secretary Clinton lauds India as “an indispensable partner.” President Obama says the relationship “will be a defining partnership in the twenty-first century.” Subsequent dialogues follow annually.

November 5, 2010 Obama Backs India Bid for UN Security Council:

President Obama visits India, where he addresses Parliament and backs the country’s long-held bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The trip also highlights the countries’ economic ties, with Obama announcing $14.9 billion in trade deals. However, trade concerns around access to Indian markets and issues surrounding civil nuclear cooperation cloud the talks.

July 19, 2011 U.S., India Ink Cyber security Memorandum:

The United States and India sign a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi to promote closer cybersecurity cooperation. The agreement is designed to fulfill one of the pillars of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.

May 30, 2012 Panetta Boosts Military Ties:

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visits India to bolster military ties in the wake of the Obama administration’s announced “pivot” to Asia. The trip marks the first such visit since former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with Indian counterparts in January 2010.

September 27, 2013 Singh Makes Last Visit to Washington:

Manmohan Singh visits Washington in his last visit to the United States as India’s prime minister. The trip, which focuses on security, trade, immigration reform, and the civilian nuclear deal, marks the third meeting between Singh and Obama in four years. It comes amid a backdrop of domestic political issues in Delhi, a troubled Indian economy, and a government shutdown crippling Washington.

March 31, 2014 Diplomatic Row Sours Ties:

The U.S. embassy in India announces Ambassador Nancy Powell’s resignation in the wake of a dispute over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York. The announcement comes amid the run-up to high-profile national elections.

May 20, 2014 Obama Invites Modi to U.S.:

The Hindu nationalist BJP party wins national elections in a landslide, elevating Narendra Modi to prime minister. President Barack Obama congratulates Modi and invites him to the White House, reversing an earlier visa ban. Modi had been barred from entering the country over U.S. concerns about the 2002 massacre of Muslims in the state of Gujarat, which occurred when Modi was the state’s chief minister.

January 24, 2015 Obama's Second India Visit Elevates Ties:

U.S. President Barack Obama makes his second visit to India as head of state for India's Republic Day celebrations. The president heralds the relationship between the world's two largest democracies, saying, "America can be India's best partner." Obama and Indian PM Modi announce a breakthrough on nuclear-related issues that could help implement the U.S.-India civil nuclear deal. Six months later, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and India’s defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, sign documents to renew the ten-year U.S.-India Defense Framework Agreement.