U.S.-India Relations Under the Modi Government

India is a nation of 1.2 billion people, and sometime in the very near future will, in all likelihood, be the most populous nation on earth, replacing China. It has also been called an indispensable partner of the United States. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership, launched on January 2004 by President Bush. Over the last 10 years, we have seen this bilateral relationship evolve, and today, India is the 18th largest export market for the United States and U.S. direct investment in India has grown over 300 percent during that time. In April and May, India conducted the largest democratic exercise in history. The outcome of this election was historic because the former opposition Indian People's Party, the BJP, became the first party to win a majority of India's lower chamber of Parliament since 1984 and became the first non-Congress Party to rule India's Federal Government without coalition partners. In addition, Mr. Modi is now the first lower-caste Prime Minister, the first born after the country's 1947 independence, and the first to not have been previously embedded within New Delhi's political class. We are all hopeful that the new administration will seize upon this opportunity to work with the United States in reinvigorating bilateral ties and building a more dynamic partnership.