In building the open, civilised world that the 21st century demands, India and America will be close and vital partners. While the last century was a time of global wars and often violent struggles for freedom, today’s era presents new tests. From terrorism and proliferation to energy and economic globalism, challenges and opportunities in our world today require confident and concerted action. And one of the most encouraging global developments is the growing partnership between the United States and India.

For many years our countries worked at cross purposes; though our interests converged in numerous areas and we shared the embrace of democratic values, to speak of India and America as partners was to speak of the future. No longer. Today we are building a partnership based on equality and mutual respect, in the knowledge that every global issue is far more likely to be managed successfully if our two countries are working together.

America has a vested interest in India’s success. In the first decades of the 21st century, the choices India makes for itself and for its place in the world will be of enormous importance, and not simply because it will be the most populous country on earth. India’s choices will radiate outward, directly affecting the future of its neighbours in East, Central, and Southwest Asia and rippling beyond as a major force in shaping the next phase of world history. The people of India will be making momentous choices, not just for themselves but also for billions of others.

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