Background

ORF America partnered with the Women’s Foreign Policy Group (WFPG) on a program exploring the current state of the U.S.-India relationship and its trajectory. This exclusive event, hosted at ORF America, consisted of an off the record panel discussion featuring prominent experts in the field followed by a networking reception.

WFPG empowers and advances women's leadership in international affairs through global policy programs. Attendees included women across business, government, journalism, diplomacy, and academia.

Discussion Summary

The panel discussed how the U.S.-India partnership is of growing importance and is expanding across all fronts. The panelists explored the commercial, defense, people-to-people, and geopolitical ties that underpin the U.S.-India relationship. A key takeaway from the discussion is that we are at a moment of ambition for the relationship and that India is a natural partner in combating global challenges. It, however, remains to be seen how much can be achieved and how quickly.

The event featured the following speakers:

Welcome Remarks

• Sharon Stirling, Chief Operating Officer, ORF America

• Alexa Chopivsky, Executive Director, Women's Foreign Policy Group

Panel Discussion

• Nancy Izzo Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State

• Persis Khambatta, Director of Global Government Affairs for India and South Asia, Walmart

• Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution

• Humeyra Pamuk, U.S. State Department Correspondent at Reuters (moderator)