India and the United States in the 21st Century

"There are few more knowledgeable observers of US-India relations than Teresita Schaffer, a former senior US diplomat, who has served in virtually every south Asian capital and is now a doyenne of Washington’s still surprisingly small coterie of India watchers. . . . [a] detailed and concise anatomy of the growing ties between the world’s largest and wealthiest democracies."—Ed Luce in Financial Times.

"This is now the standard book on U.S.-Indian relations and is likely to remain so for several years. It is grounded in [Schaffer's] own deep understanding of American and Indian economic, strategic, and cultural ties, and as such offers an unequalled overview of this growingly complex relationship. I know of no other book, published or forthcoming, that comes close."—Stephen Cohen, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution.

"This book is essential to understanding the present state of U.S.-India relations and the prospects for the future. It is well organized, comprehensive, balanced, thoughtful, and full of the kind of insight that not only makes for good reading but even better understanding."—Thomas R. Pickering, former U.S. Ambassador to India 

"Ambassador Schaffer's book puts into clear focus why all the effort that has gone into improving U.S.-India relations is worth it, and more importantly, how that new relationship can be put to use by President Obama in tackling global issues that threaten all of us. It's an extremely important book that should be read by anyone dealing with international policymaking."—David Good, chief representative for North America, Tata Sons Ltd

". . . successfully juxtaposes past experience and future prospects in a way that supports further inquiry and critical thinking. I believe that any policymaker or academic wanting to think or write about the India-U.S. relationship would be well advised to make this book his/her starting point."—Ernest Corea, former Sri Lankan Ambassdor to the United States 

India and the United States in the 21st Century examines the astonishing new strategic partnership between the United States and India. Unlike other books on the subject, it brings together the two countries' success in forging bilateral relations and their relatively skimpy record of seeking common ground on global and regional issues.

India's economic growth and thirst for energy create important common interests. The two governments have a vigorous military-to-military relationship, reflecting similar security interests. They have devoted much less attention to creating a common vision of the world, and they regularly spar in multilateral settings. The big global issues in the coming decade, however, including climate change, nuclear proliferation, and international financial reform, cannot be addressed without India.

To develop a new model of partnership that suits both countries, India and the United States have to overcome two crucial disconnects: what each wants from the relationship—India is looking mainly for bilateral benefits, whereas the payoff for the United States is global and multilateral; and what each wants from the other—India has been committed to "trategic autonomy," not allowing its foreign policy to be (or seem) excessively influenced by others, while the U.S. experience of partnership has been to be the dominant voice.

This book proposes a policy of inclusion and candor, with the United States taking the relationship global and regional by helping to move India into global councils of leadership.