Ashley J. Tellis: India’s Great-Power Delusions

Since the turn of the century, the United States has sought to help India rise as a great power. During George W. Bush’s presidency, Washington agreed to a major deal with New Delhi that offered support for India’s civilian nuclear program despite the country’s controversial development of nuclear weapons. Under the Obama administration, the United States and India began defense industrial cooperation that aimed to boost the latter’s military capabilities and help it project power. 

During President Donald Trump’s first term, the United States started sharing sensitive intelligence with India and made it eligible to receive advanced technologies previously reserved only for American allies; under President Joe Biden, Washington gave New Delhi sophisticated fighter jet engine technology. Each of these recent administrations deepened diplomatic, technological, and military cooperation with India, making good on Bush’s promise “to help India become a major world power in the twenty-first century.”

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