BY DHRUVA JAISHANKAR
Chairman Huizenga, Ranking Member Kamlager-Dove, and Members of the Subcommittee: It is a privilege to appear before you today. I am grateful to House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Chairman Brian Mast and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks for their invitation.
My name is Dhruva Jaishankar, and I am Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation America (ORF America), a public policy think tank based in Washington DC affiliated with the Observer Research Foundation in India. My father is the External Affairs Minister of India, the counterpart to the U.S. Secretary of State. However, I appear today in my capacity as a private Indian citizen. My testimony reflects my personal views as an international relations analyst, and not those of my employer or the Government of India.
I would like to highlight three points in today’s hearing:
The strengthening U.S.-India strategic partnership since 1998 has been premised on converging interests. These related to: (i) mutually-beneficial economic opportunities in both countries and (ii) strategic coordination, particularly in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s rise and growing assertiveness and, more recently, in stabilizing the Middle East.
The progress made in consolidating the U.S.-India partnership is currently at a political standstill, primarily due to differences over (i) trade and tariffs and (ii) renewed U.S. engagement with Pakistan’s military leadership. Additional differences involving Russia, regional strategies, and both countries’ domestic policies exist, but are manageable.
The present situation risks jeopardizing mutually-beneficial cooperation on (i) the ambitious bilateral agenda outlined by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi in February 2025 on trade, technology, energy, and defense cooperation and (ii) strategic cooperation between the two countries in the Quad, in the Middle East, and on global affairs: from the Western Hemisphere and Africa to AI and critical minerals.