US Pivot toward India after 9/11

The author's argument is that the US policy toward India is more one of continuity than change. The driving force behind recent Indo-US relations is not primarily the consequences of 9/11 but is rather the result of power shifts within a more globalized world where 9/11 provided an additional conducive environment.

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The book is a very timely and important work on US foreign policy toward India since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Masud Sarker traces the trajectory of closer Indo-US relations during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The author applies a qualitative framework to describe these changes and explain the factors that clarify the strengthened bilateral relationship, especially after decades of irritable relations between the two "estranged democracies." The book compares two influences that shaped the rapprochement between India and the US: the 9/11 attacks and global structural changes after the Cold War; and evaluate which of these influences best explains closer Indo-US relations over the last two decades. The book should be a fascinating one that provides an excellent analysis of Indo-US relations since India's independence to Obama administrations based on extensive use of key primary sources including interviewing the persons involved in US foreign policy-making process. While the existing literature has mainly focused on the civil-nuclear deal as a turning point for Indo-US relations, this book presents an alternative story for improved Indo-US relations in the 21st century and uncovers the ongoing puzzle. More interestingly, the author shows how the Indian diaspora as a 3rd party plays a role in strengthening Indo-US relations.