How to Understand the U.S.-Indian Relationship

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Washington, D.C. this week, where U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome him with a state dinner on Thursday night. The trip is taking place at a time when U.S.-Indian ties are growing more complicated, particularly as Modi has refused to directly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There are also questions about what values the two countries share as Modi leans into ethnonationalist politics and India’s democratic institutions continue to decay. Despite these tensions, New Delhi remains a key U.S. ally in a region that is growing strategically more important as the competition between the United States and China intensifies. Foreign Affairs’ editors have selected some of the magazine’s best coverage of this complicated relationship—as Washington and New Delhi consider where the partnership may go from here.