Meenakshi Ahamed on U.S.-India Relations from Truman to Trump

As a new administration takes office in Washington, followers of the U.S.-India relationship are eagerly anticipating what shape ties between these two nations will take under a new president. A new book by the journalist Meenakshi Ahamed, A Matter of Trust: India–US Relations from Truman to Trump, offers a sweeping portrait of this relationship over seven decades.  

This week on the show, Milan sits down with Meenakshi to discuss the evolution of U.S.-India relations, from the moment of independence in 1947 to Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. The two discuss Nehru’s perennial skepticism of America, Bill Clinton’s lifelong fascination with India, and how China’s recent actions have given the partnership an unprecedented boost. 

 

Episode notes: 

1. Rudra Chaudhuri, India and the United States Since 1947
2. Tanvi Madan, Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped U.S.-India Relations During the Cold War
3. Grand Tamasha, “Tanvi Madan on the U.S.-India-China Fateful Triangle” 
4. Grand Tamasha, “Ashley J. Tellis on India’s China Conundrum”