Tech is the new driver of India-US diplomacy

General Studies Paper 2

Context

• Recently, India-US bilateral relations reach to new height with the incredibly ambitious agenda for technology cooperation, ranging from artificial intelligence to outer space and quantum computing to telecommunications.

About the recent visit of Indian Prime minister to USA that provides new insight

• In a joint statement issued after the talks at the White House, the two leaders committed their governments to “facilitate greater technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities between U.S. and Indian industry, government, and academic institutions.”
• They also directed the two bureaucracies to make “regular efforts to address export controls” and “enhance high technology commerce” between the two nations.

Historical past of technological relation of both countries

• There was a brief flowering of India-US technology cooperation. US assisted India’s nuclear and space programmes in the 1950s and 1960s.
• India’s first nuclear power plant at Tarapur was built by General Electric and its first satellite by Ford Aerospace. The US also contributed to India’s Green Revolution.
• But As anti-Americanism gripped the Indian political class from the late 1960s, there was a deliberate attempt to snuff out academic and research links to the United States
• The US on its part, began to actively restrict technology cooperation with India as America’s post-war scientific internationalism was replaced by the non-proliferation theology.
• Although Indira and Rajiv Gandhi sought to restore India-US technology cooperation in the Cold War, it was hard to get going.
• Later It was the historic civil nuclear initiative unveiled by George W Bush and Manmohan Singh that broke through the paradigm of non-proliferation

Technology sharing is vital link of both nation

• To be sure, technology formed a running theme in the evolution of India-US ties since Independence. But it was a boutique element.
• At the best of times, technology cooperation showcased the Indian elite’s ambitions at the highest level however in bad times, it became a bone of political contention.
• As, India is eager to rescue Indian science and technology from excessive statism and bring the industry, especially the private sector, and the innovation communities into play.
• And US has sought to cut through a welter of regulations limiting US technology cooperation with India. If their plans unfold according to ambition, one will see the technology interface between the two countries rapidly broaden and thicken.
• As new productive forces unleashed by new technologies create possibilities to reboot the Indian and American economies, enhance their national security, and rearrange the global economic order.
• Therefore, India-US technological cooperation also opens the door for addressing global challenges such as climate change.

Conclusion

• This significant technology bridge which has been empowered by the Modi-Biden plan, is all set to play a crucial role in reshaping the relations between the two countries.