Deepening Of Indo-U.S. Ties

The torturous but successful negotiations leading to the finalisation of the 123 agreement between the U.S.A. and India is a sign of the increasingly positive direction Indo-U.S. relations are headed toward. The personal intervention and determination of the Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Vice-President Dick Cheney and President Bush indicates America's strong desire to forge closer geopolitical, geostrategic and economic ties with India for reasons pertaining to national interest. Rice's recent invitation to India to join a potential U.S.-led club of democratic societies and the suggestion of the irrelevance of NAM also make it abundantly clear that the trust deficit on both sides is beginning to diminish and both sides realise the fruitfulness of cooperation between the world's largest and the oldest democracy in areas of trade, defence and globally relevant political issues. The concern of China wanting to establish its hegemony over Asia and considering India as a rival in its path makes it all the more imperative for India and the U.S. to form an alliance to safeguard each other's interests.