Understanding the Foreign Policy Process Through the Lens of US-India Relations

• In Event: Publics, Institutions, and Cultures: New Research on Indian Foreign Policy

Abstract

Scholars and observers have noted a fundamental transformation in the US-India relationship since the early 1990s (Kapur and Ganguly 2007; Burns 2007; Blackwill 2009; Schaffer 2009, Kronstadt 2009). Until the 1990s, subtle hostility and disengagement characterized the relationship. While some are more optimistic than others, most agree that India and US are no longer “estranged democracies (Kux 1994).” What accounts for this surprising turnaround? Many observers posit that the US government sees India as a counterpoint to China, necessitating a “tilt” towards India (Tellis 2005). The conventional view privileges the role of geo-political factors such as the rise of China, and the actions and ideas of governmental actors in shaping foreign policy and grand strategies. This article adds to this debate by developing and testing a “bureaucratic politics” model of foreign policy making. In so doing this paper asks: What do we learn about foreign policy making in the US by examining the lens of US-India foreign relations across different periods? I focus on three distinct foreign policy change periods: a) the Bill Clinton presidency in the early 1990s, leading up to Hilary Clinton's “goodwill tour” to India in 1995; (b) the 1998 nuclear tests and Bill Clinton’ visit to India in March 2000; (c) the George W. Bush era and the nuclear deal, 2004-2008 to create a map of foreign making process. Has the policy process changed across these episodes?

Author

• Aseema Sinha, Claremont Mckenna College