Why has the United States spent decades courting India? Successive administrations of both parties—including Donald Trump—have been willing to boost India’s national power, most recently with a focus on high technology. Yet India remains notoriously guarded about making any political commitments; it maintains close relations with American adversaries like Russia; and critics say it has even tried to assassinate Americans on American territory. So, what does the United States get out of this burgeoning relationship—and why is it a pivotal partnership for the 21st century?

Arzan Tarapore, Ph.D., has been a research scholar of Indian military strategy and Indo-Pacific security issues at Stanford, the U.S. Army War College, Georgetown University, the East-West Center in Washington, The Observer Foundation in New Delhi, and the RAND Corporation. Prior to that, he served for 13 years in the Australian Defense Department. He earned his Ph.D. in war studies from King’s College in London. You can learn more about him on his website.